- 7 December 2007 -

Peanut husks could remove copper ions

Scientists in Turkey have discovered that peanut husks could be used to absorb copper ions from wastewater.

Scientists at the department of environmental engineering at Mersin University, Turkey looked at how well untreated peanut husks and another potential cleanup material, pine sawdust, compare in absorbing copper ions from wastewater. The team measured the levels of copper ions that could be extracted from wastewater at different temperatures, acidity, flow rate, and initial concentration of dissolved copper.

They found that the longer the waste water is exposed to the materials the more efficient the process. But while the peanut husks removed 95% of the copper ions whereas the pine sawdust only achieved 44% extraction. The efficiency worked best when the water was slightly acidic but temperature had little effect on efficiency.

The findings were discussed in the International Journal of Environment and Pollution.

www.mersin.edu.tr