Extracting heavy metals with vegetable oilsDangerous lead levels in drinking water in cities across
Extracting heavy metals with vegetable oilsDangerous lead levels in drinking water in cities across the nation have recently made national headlines. Water contaminated with lead, mercury, or other heavy metals poses serious problems for not only our health but also for our environment.At the Agricultural Research Service’s (ARS) National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR) in Peoria, Illinois, scientists are investigating safe ways to remove heavy metals from various substances. Recently, they developed and patented a new method that uses vegetable oils to remove metals from liquids, solids, and gases.Rex Murray, research leader at NCAUR’s Bio-Oils Research Unit, and his colleagues have created a chemical process to modify vegetable oils into “functionalized” vegetable oils that effectively separate heavy metal ions fromwater. The team included chemist Kenneth Doll, physical scientist Grigor Bantchev, chemical engineer Robert Dunn, and physical science technician Kim Ascherl.Read more. -- source link
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