Repurposed: Ground Circuit Board Waste Can Clean Up Toxic Metals

ckwu writes "Researchers in Hong Kong have found a beneficial new use for the electronic waste from discarded cell phones, computers, and other gadgets. Ground up into a powder, printed circuit boards from these products could sponge up another type of pollution — toxic heavy metals in water. The researchers processed the nonmetallic fraction of waste circuit boards into a powder and found that it adsorbed metals like copper, lead, and zinc more efficiently than commercially available industrial adsorbents."

Comments

That's the clever part,

[Kaenneth]

When Winter comes, the Gorillas will all freeze to death.

Re:That's the clever part,

[HairyNevus]

For those scratching their heads:

Skinner: ahh, but as it turns out the lizards where a god send since they've eaten all the pigeons.
Lisa: Isn't that a little short sighted, what happens when where up to our ears with lizards?
Skinner: Ah, well we shall simply release wave after wave of Chinese needles snakes.
Lisa: then what about the snakes?
Skinner: We simply import gorillas who will eat all the snakes.
Lisa: Well what happens when we're up to our ears in gorilla's!
Skinner: Ah that's the beauty of the thing, come winter the gorillas will freeze to death.

good tech doing good work

[kermidge]

This is good tech stuff, for real-world use and valid "news for nerds, stuff that matters" - oops, we don't do that here anymore. It's one of the ways tech is supposed to work.

Somebody had a thought, "I wonder..." or "What if..." and tested it.
It worked; in fact, it worked very well. The need is not restricted to China, either.

What's not to like? Where's the applause?