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Corn
products can clean wastewater
By
Amy Geiszler-Jones
Cleaning
up toxic, metal-contaminated wastewater can be an expensive, cumbersome
project, but some waste corn products are up to the job, says a
Wichita State researcher.
The
products are readily available and cheap, making them an even more
attractive alternative, according to Mark Schneegurt, assistant
professor in biological sciences. He’s helped develop a new
removal method using the waste corn products.
Photo
by Inside WSU
Mark
Schneegurt, assistant professor in biological sciences, has
developed a new way to remove metals from polluted wastewater.
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An
article on the method was featured on a recent cover of the American
Chemical Society’s publication "Environmental Science
and Technology."
Schneegurt
and his group of researchers from Argonne National Laboratory and
the University of Notre Dame found that spillage, a dried yeast-plant
mixture that remains after the manufacture of ethanol, and ground
corn cobs from the production of animal feed can easily remove metals
from polluted waters.
Usually
mineral adsorbents and chemical clumping agents are used to remove
metals from contaminated wastewater, but this conventional method
is relatively expensive, according to the article. Waste corn products,
on the other hand, are cheap. According to the article, spillage
sells for about $70 to $80 a ton, while ground corn cobs cost $100
to $125 per ton.
With
this new method, the waste agricultural products are packed into
tubes and the contaminated wastewater is pumped through. The biomass
acts like a magnet, attracting toxic metals such as copper, cesium,
molybdenum, nickel, lead and zinc from the wastewater.
Once
the metals are trapped in the tubes, the biomass would be treated
as hazardous waste, says Schneegurt. It could be burned in a special
incinerator to reduce bulk and then packed into concrete or turned
into glass. Another disposal alternative is to simply pack the biomass
into concrete.
The
group conducted its study using wastewater samples from an abandoned
copper mine in Montana. The Berkeley Pit is part of a Superfund
site near Butte that is threatening the city’s groundwater
supply.
While
this process would be particularly useful for the mining industry,
it could be used for industrial wastewater streams, such as those
coming from paint manufacturers and from metal manufacturing processes,
Schneegurt says.
Toxic
metals produce all types of health hazards, like liver damage and
neurological problems. They are especially harmful to children.
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