Invention Turns Toxic Waste into Electricity

[Flashermac]

New technology could clean toxic messes from mines and create electricity at the same time.

 

Contaminated water seeping from coal and metal mines is a serious environmental hazard that endangers the safety of drinking water supplies and the health of plants and animals. This caustic pollutionâ??loaded with metals such as arsenic, lead, copper, iron and cadmiumâ??is currently difficult and costly to treat.

 

Environmental engineers at Pennsylvania State University are now developing a device that could both fight this environmental problem and provide a new source of energy.

 

The researchers tested a lab-scale version of their invention on fluids tainted with iron, similar to polluted water from mines. The device attacked the dissolved iron, removing electrons from it. This generated electricity while at the same time making the iron insoluble, thus efficiently pulling this contaminant from the water.

 

The iron that the device recovered could find use as a pigment for paints or other products, the researchers said. In principle, such a machine could also pull other metal contaminants from polluted water. "We are also working, in other research projects, on removal of arsenic and other contaminants," researcher Brian Dempsey said.

 

Link

[Julian2]

Would they clean up the Bangkok klongs?

[Flashermac]

Now that is asking a lot.

 

 

[Mekong]

This article sums up my attitude about energy production. People sometimes ask the question "When is Peak Oil?" there wont be for many years yet, it just cost a lot more to get it.

 

The same applies to recycling, once the costs involved can be covered and it becomes financially viable to do so, the more companies will get involved.

 

This is only one of many ideas about reprocessing products we know see as waste and one one hand being enviormetially friendly on the other feeding mans never ending needs for energy.