Technology Description:

Soybean, rice and cottonseed hulls, rice straw, sugarcane residue, commonly called bagasse, and peanut shells typically discarded now have a new use thanks to a process developed by ARS scientists. They are using these high volume, low-cost agricultural by-products and turning the by-products themselves into granular activated carbons (GACs). These GACs could be used by industrial companies that generate wastewater with metal contaminants. They can be used to remove toxic metals from wastewater, and for cleaning up organic compounds as well. Also, a wider rage of metals can be removed using ARS' GACs compared to commercial GACs. They can be equally effective and competitively priced with commercial carbons for use as adsorbents to soak up metal.
Reference:

Please refer to USPN 6,537,947, "Activated Carbons from Low Density Agricultural Waste," which issued on March 25, 2003. 

Inventors:

Wayne E. Marshall Commodity Utilization Research New Orleans, LA 70179 (504) 286-4356 / Fax: (504) 286-4367  wemarsh@nola.srrc.usda.gov	Christopher A. Toles (Same as first inventor)
Mitchell M. Johns Department of Food Science Center LAES, LSU Agricultural Center Baton Rouge, LA 70803