Orange Peels May Be Solution For Mercury Contamination

New research is adding a zesty touch to the search for affordable clean-water technology: orange peels.

“Oranges can help reduce the amount of mercury that contaminates oceans worldwide, a new study revealed. Researchers from Flinders University have developed a new, cheaper, non-toxic material out of industrial waste and orange peels that may change the way we deal with this widespread pollutant,” Nature World News recently reported.

“Researchers essentially created a large molecule known as a polymer that is able to suck mercury out of contaminated water and soil. They were able to make this material from the industrial waste products [including sulfur]. The material appears dark red at first but as it absorbs mercury it turns bright yellow. Since this chemical reaction causes such a color change, researchers also suggest their polymer could be used to detect small levels of mercury in areas where pollution is suspected,” the report explained.

Justin Chalker of Flinders University, one of the lead researchers, highlighted the affordability of the method is one of its key draws.

“He says the new polymer is cheap to produce due to the global abundance of waste sulphur and limonene. That makes it affordable for use in large-scale environmental clean-ups, to coat water pipes carrying domestic and waste water, and even in removing mercury from large bodies of water,” the university explained in a blog post.

Chalker contextualized the groundbreaking research. He argued that finding an efficient, cost-effective method for fighting mercury is vital.

“Until now, there has been no such method, but the new sulphur-limonene polysulfide addresses this urgent need,” he said. “More than 70 million tonnes of sulphur is produced each year by the petroleum industry, so there are literally mountains of it lying, unused, around the globe, while more than 70 thousand tons of limonene is produced each year by the citrus industry (limonene is found mainly in orange peels).”

“So not only is this new polymer good for solving the problem of mercury pollution, but it also has the added environmental bonus of putting this waste material to good use while converting them into a form that is much easier to store so that once the material is ‘full’ it can easily be removed and replaced,” he continued.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, mercury in waterways is a major concern for both people and wildlife.

“Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that accumulates in fish to levels of concern for human health and the health of fish-eating wildlife. Mercury contamination of fish is the primary reason for issuing fish consumption advisories, which exist in every State in the Nation. Much of the mercury originates from combustion of coal and can travel long distances in the atmosphere before being deposited. This can result in mercury-contaminated fish in areas with no obvious source of mercury pollution,” the scientific agency explained.