Can Banana Peels Save Our Oceans?|香蕉皮净化水质有奇效

by Owain Mckimm

Scientists are studying banana peels to see if they can help clean the oceans.

Banana peels have led to the misfortune of many cartoon characters for as long as falling down has been funny. _(1)_ Scientists in Brazil have discovered that when banana peels are dried and ground into a powder, they can be more effective in purifying contaminated water than many other filtering chemicals on the market.

Scientists discovered that banana peels contain nitrogen (氮), sulfur (硫), and most importantly, carboxylic acids (羧酸). _(2)_ These waters could have possibly been polluted with mining refuse, industrial waste, or runoff from farms. Perhaps more significant is the fact that the peels can be used repeatedly. _(3)_ This means that the use of banana peels as water purifiers provides a cheap, renewable, and environmentally friendly method of removing toxins from vital water sources around the world. Though the peels cannot remove bacteria from the water, their rate of extracting heavy metal contaminants can be as high as 65 percent per treatment. _(4)_

Brazil is a country in which bananas are incredibly abundant. Restaurants and markets in its major cities throw away tons of banana peels a week. _(5)_ However, cleaning water is not the only thing banana peels can do. As every good housewife knows, they can also be used to polish silver, burnish leather, and give houseplants a healthy new shine.

(A) These acids bind with metals, such as lead and copper, effectively removing them from polluted bodies of water like oceans, lakes, and streams.

(B) The potential for recycling such a large amount of food waste into a sustainable water purifier is an environmentalist's dream.

(C) Now, it seems the slippery skin of the banana is finally developing a reputation in the scientific community.

(D) As a matter of fact, the same peels can be used up to 11 times before they become ineffective as purifiers.

(E) Each treatment cycle can of course be repeated over and over to gain an almost complete cleansing.

香蕉皮净化水质有奇效

科学家正在研究香蕉皮是否能净化海洋。

　　长久以来，只要跌倒会引人哈哈大笑，香蕉皮造成了许多卡通人物的不幸。如今，滑溜的香蕉皮似乎终于在科学界打响名号。巴西的科学家发现，晾干并磨成粉后的香蕉皮能有效地净化污水，效果优于市面上其他许多化学过滤物质。

　　科学家发现香蕉皮含有氮和硫，而更重要的是，它含有羧酸。这些酸性物质能与铜和铅等金属结合，有效地将这些金属物从海洋、湖泊、溪流等受污染的水中清除。这些水源可能是被采矿产生的废弃物、工业废料或农田流出的废物所污染。或许更重要的是，香蕉皮可以不断重复使用。事实上，同 1 条香蕉皮在变成无效的净化物之前可使用多达 11次。这意味着被拿来当作净化水质的香蕉皮提供了 1种廉价、可再生且环保的方式，来清除全球重要水源中的毒素。虽然香蕉皮不能去除水中的细菌，但每次处理所吸附的重金属污染物比率可高达百分之六十五。每次的循环处理过程当然可以一再重复，以达到几乎彻底的净化效果。

　　巴西是盛产香蕉的国家。该主要城市的餐厅和市场每星期丢弃大量的香蕉皮。将如此大量的食品废弃物回收再生为能持续净化水源的工具，这种潜力可说是环保人士的梦想。然而，净化水质并非是香蕉皮唯一能做的事。每位贤慧的家庭主妇都知道，香蕉皮也可以用来擦亮银器和皮革，以及让室内盆栽植物健康地闪闪发光

。

　　答案：  1. (C)2. (A)3. (D)4. (E)5. (B)

再者，香蕉皮含丰富叶黄素和类胡萝卜素，还可保护视网膜。