Efficiently removing trace metals from water

Current methods for cleaning trace metals out of water are inefficient, expensive or produce unwanted toxic byproducts. Researchers at Brown University are aiming to solve this problem with a new method, the cyclic electrowinning/precipitation (CEP) system. Combining two existing, but separate, technologies, CEP removes up to 99 percent of copper, cadmium and nickel, returning contaminated water to federally accepted standards. The automated CEP system is scalable as well, so it could eventually be used commercially in environmental remediation and metal recovery.

SOURCE: Brown University Press Release