Can You Really Clean Polluted Water With…Banana Peels?
- Posted on August 13, 2011 at 1:41am by
Liz Klimas
- Print »
- Email »
Looks like banana peels have the last laugh. Once a prop for pranks with seemingly no value after doing it’s job of protecting the mashable fruit within, researchers have found its higher calling: water purification.
Listen to the American Chemical Society (ACS) podcast to learn more and to find some other interesting uses for banana peels (25 seconds in).
As NPR reports, environmental chemist Gustavo Castro at São Paulo State University found that banana peels can help turn water polluted with heavy metals from mining operations or other activities into drinking water.
What he found was that banana peels contain nitrogen, sulfur and organic compounds such as carboxylic acids. Castro was especially pleased to find these acids because they can bind with positively charged metals that leach into rivers from industrial operations.
Not only can it do this effectively but it cleans even better than other water purification materials, according to the paper published in ACS’ Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research journal.
These peels could be useful long after the fruit is gone. (flickr, Fernando-Stankuns)
The researchers found the minced banana peels could be used up to 11 times before losing effectiveness at removing the contaminants.
“I was surprised to learn that something so simple could work so well,” [Castro said in the podcast.] I believe that banana peels can be of great importance in water purification. Sustainability is very important.”
The scientists added that banana peels are very attractive because of their low cost and because they don’t have to be chemically modified in order to work.
Popular Stories
Does Misstated Marathon Claim Prove Paul Ryan Is Dishonest? (POLL) 667 Comments
‘Jumah at the DNC’ Speaker: ‘Muslims Visited America Prior to Columbus’ & ‘It Was a Muslim’ Who Guided Him to the ‘New World’ 525 Comments
Paper Details Obama Admin’s Alleged Secret Note Sent to Iran: If Israel Attacks, We Won’t Get Involved 377 Comments
Obama: RNC Like Watching ‘Black-and-White TV’ Because Romney ‘Did Not Offer a Single New Idea’ 364 Comments
Roseanne Barr: Most Billionaires ‘Violent Pedophiles’ & ‘Heartless’ Cocaine Addicts 326 Comments
Faith
This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 248 Comments- Pakistani Muslim Cleric Accused of Framing Disabled Christian Girl in Koran-Burning Case Read More
- ‘Made Up Religion’: TV Historian Enrages Muslims, Receives Threats After Producing UK Documentary Questioning Islam’s Beginnings 257 Comments
Meet the Controversial German Imam Accused of Brutally Beating His Wife & Pushing Sharia Law Read More
‘Self-Proclaimed Messiah’ & Unification Church Leader the Rev. Sun Myung Moon Has Died — Here’s His Life Story Read More
Business
President Obama Issues Major ‘Green Energy’ Executive Order Read More- Germany’s Upcoming Court Ruling Will be Huge for the EU Read More
Ford Looks to Beat Toyota for Best-Selling Car in 2012 With This Model 147 Comments
Bernanke & QE3: Here’s What You Need to Know Read More- ‘Extortion’: Why Did the Labor Department ‘Drop the Hammer’ on Oregon Farmers? 300 Comments
Technology
- This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 248 Comments
‘TaserDrone’: Hackers Weaponize Quadcopter With Actual ‘Shocking’ Technology Read More
Ever Heard of the Wild ‘Burning Man’ Festival in the Middle of the Nev. Desert? Here’s Your Primer Read More
Stanford Develops Technology ‘Better Than Steroids’ for Athlete Recovery Read More
Have You Pretended to Know What ‘the Cloud’ Is? You’re Not Alone Read More
Submitting your tip... please wait!
Comments (75)
Bernard
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 3:48pmI knew that banana peels can be used to shine and give nutrition to home grown plants by cleaning the leaves of the plant with banana peels. But this article takes the cake.
Report Post »oneshiner
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 5:40pmanana Peels Get a Second Life as Water Purifier
ScienceDaily (Mar. 10, 2011) — To the surprisingly inventive uses for banana peels — which include polishing silverware, leather shoes, and the leaves of house plants — scientists have added purification of drinking water contaminated with potentially toxic metals. Their report, which concludes that minced banana peel performs better than an array of other purification materials, appears in ACS’s journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research.
Report Post »Servant Of YHVH
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 11:36pm@bernard
Report Post »I’m sure that you are talking about banana cake!
jeckelmyhyde
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 2:15pmAnother use of banana peels would be for sanitizing Barney Franks chair after an interview.
Report Post »jacobstroubles
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 4:04pmThat is hysterical!. They should start loading up on that stuff and get ready to spray down the wh in 2012.
Report Post »RebelSon
Posted on August 15, 2011 at 12:25pmHe’d probably cooperate by sitting on the banana during the interview.
Report Post »countrygirl
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 1:34pmAnother example of the infinite uses God has designed.
Report Post »HD Veteran
Posted on August 15, 2011 at 10:48pmGood insight.
Report Post »affinnity
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 12:49pmThe animal rights activists will protest banana farms because they destroy the natural habitat of some stupid, soon to be extinct, animal. The environmentalists will protest because the banana trees are destroying natural forests. If it’s cheap, is useful, and works naturally, some Liberal group won’t like it.
Report Post »cemerius
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 11:48amSo, they work like sponges…what happens to the wastes after they “pick up” the metals? Sounds like they have the same problem of “where to dispose of the wastes?”
Report Post »Beeree
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 12:53pmThe “problem” isn’t how to dispose of the waste, it’s how to filter it out of the water. Dispostion of the waste is fairly simple, especially once you extract it out of the bananas, you just seal it up and bury it some where out of the way.
Report Post »Patrick in AZ
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 3:01pmHow long do the peels last? They are organic and they do rot, I’m just curious how long after peeling the banana do you have before they are too rotten to use. And if they were put into use on a large scale, would they remain cost effective? It seems that the price of bananas would sky rocket.
Report Post »Just in time
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 5:14pmWe could just smoke them to get the full effect.( just kidding). After drinking the safe drinking water. You will be alive to make the decision about how to dispose of the peel. That‘s a plus don’t you think?
Report Post »What_Did_I_Miss
Posted on August 14, 2011 at 5:59pmImbesi’s Law of the Conservation of Filth:
In order for something to become clean, something else must become dirty.
Report Post »J.C. McGlynn
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 11:46amI wonder if the banana peels will strain the salt out of salt water to make fresh water?
Report Post »TunaBlue
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 3:42pmNo.
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 5:29pmI doubt it.
but,
if you need to desalinate water, look at http://www.aquasonics.com
Report Post »TAKEITBACK
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 11:26amSounds appealing (I had to LOL)
Report Post »affinnity
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 12:51pmI get it – funny.
Report Post »BOMUSTGO
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 11:21amI put a couple of banana peels in my toilet and now it won’t flush!
Report Post »Jack2011
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 12:03pmlol
Report Post »affinnity
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 12:39pmThanks for letting us know.
Report Post »gmoneytx
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 10:02amCan we use banana peels to clean up Washington, if we can use them up to 11 times, that should do it!
Report Post »walkwithme1966
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 10:14amProbably now – it would take too many of them. But it is good to know about the water!
Report Post »http://wp.me/pYLB7-1lr
hamanns
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 8:02pmNo, but DDT would be much more effective.
Report Post »gmoneytx
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 10:00amYeah!
Report Post »commonsenseguy
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 8:30amyeah banana subsidies, can anyone say $ 5.00 each along with a peel tax. look out next will be air, i am all for clean water, but anything that claims that rotten peels can clean water is either crazy, or very darn good at their job and the governments see tax money. will have to wait and see when the new banana filters are own the shelf at my local hardware store, just wonder what they will charge use to recycle our filters.
Report Post »loriann12
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 8:55amI’m in Texas, and I was thinking more along the lines of “I gotta get a banana tree.” I guess it’s what this government has done to me, turned me into a survivalist. If we can’t get clean fresh water, we could filter it through minced banana peels. And you can use the same batch 11 times? That’s great for a single family.
Report Post »vennoye
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 11:36amloriann12
Report Post »Yeah, I’m in Texas too and I was thinking……just put through food saver, put them in the freezer instead of throwing them out. Wonder if they will work as well???
If this administration has NOT made you a survivalist, nothing ever will!! :-)
fb274
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 3:50pmTexan here as well and have recently read sewage water will soon become our drinking water……..of course they say it will be cleaner than what the tap now releases. Will have to get 4 new Berkey filters and block image of sewage out of mind before drinking the stuff——-grrrrrrrrrrrr.
Report Post »Dabldo
Posted on August 15, 2011 at 11:07pmJust what we need. Another tax with-a-peel.
Report Post »jim
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 5:06amOnly racists use bananas!!
Report Post »tucsondon
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 4:43amAnd they make for sidesplitting hijinks when stepped on by unsuspecting cartoon characters. Bananas: The perfect food.
Report Post »Cold War Vet
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 4:17amI think we could get more mileage out of banana peels by scattering them on the floor of the Democratic National Convention!
Report Post »PoliticalSmackdown {Subscribe & Friend me on YouTube}
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 4:02amand the best part is you can smoke them!
Report Post »UlyssesP
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 6:52amDoesn’t work. Not even smeared with toothpaste.
Report Post »Mil Mom
Posted on August 16, 2011 at 12:34amre : and the best part is you can smoke them!
Report Post »****
I had a friend in high school, who smoked banana peels with his older brother, he said they were sick as dogs all week end!
Diane TX
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 3:52amGreat news about the banana peels. I’m not against clean water. As for cleaning up Washington, DC – is there anything for getting rid of all the Communists there? I remember when we went to war against the Communists.
Obama has proven himself to be a Communist with all of his “redistribution” of wealth. That’s what Communism is. Let’s not politely call it Progressism or Socialism. Obama is a Communist. He wants Federalized control of everything in the USA.
As dumb and clueless as Obama is, does anyone in their right mind believe that Obama should be the Leader of the free World?
Report Post »loriann12
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 8:57amI was in the Navy during the cold war, the 80′s, as a submarine tracker. I knew these people were communists 3 years ago, but no one would listen to me.
Report Post »Mil Mom
Posted on August 16, 2011 at 12:30amre : As dumb and clueless as Obama is, does anyone in their right mind believe that Obama should be the Leader of the free World?
Report Post »***
Not even he. that’s why all the exec. orders, Obamacare, and a regulations czar! Won’t be considered a “free world” long!!!
CanteenBoy
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 3:40amBanana subsidies and higher prices for all!!
Report Post »jcizarter
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 6:12ammaybe they could get the 10% (soon to be 15%) corn alcohol out of my gas tank
Report Post »or maybe even the EPA out of the USA and off the payroll
Robert-CA
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 3:37amI think the real question should be :
Report Post »Can you really clean corrupted Washington DC with banana peels ?
Sheepdog911
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 7:43amIf you put both in the Compost Heap, I‘ll bet they’d help.
Report Post »loriann12
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 9:02amI wouldn’t want my compost heap contaminated by the communists in Washington.
Report Post »Gypsy123
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 3:30amInteresting I wonder if I could put some in the water filtration system in my house
Report Post »Aviyah
Posted on August 16, 2011 at 12:55amTry it and report back.
Report Post »AMERICA4EVER
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 2:55amWhen they start using banana peels for this, watch the cost of bananas rise and then the government will tax the hell out of them.
Report Post »Scottsman
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 8:30amYou nailed it.
Report Post »HorseCrazy
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 12:21pmget a banana tree while you can. we have one in the house since I am in a very cold climate. neat use for the peels
Report Post »Fina Biscotti
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 2:49amInteresting discovery……The researchers found the minced banana peels could be used up to 11 times before losing effectiveness at removing the contaminants.
Report Post »Slowman101
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 2:35amPut a banana peel next to the Telepromper of the United States.
Report Post »Cold War Vet
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 4:20amPlease do!
Report Post »Captain Crunch
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 1:56amEverybody needs to buy a case of bananas and send it to the White House with a message for the President to clean up his act.
Report Post »theBigToe
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 1:55amI remember when all you could do with banana peels was smoke ‘em :)
Report Post »Captain Crunch
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 2:09amYea but bananna peals never seemed to do the trick.
Report Post »CanteenBoy
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 3:41amTrue dat!
Report Post »alaskajohn
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 1:45ammakes me wanna buy a gold mine
Report Post »just to purify the water
TX VOL
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 11:50amAnyone think the last sentence is out of place? “Sustainibility is very important”. Came from NPR, environmental chemist is from Brazil….I smell agenda 21.
Report Post »