An ECU study in Western Australia found that canola stalks and lupin straw, which currently have no commercial use and are generally burnt after harvest, can strip up to 98.5 per cent of lead from wastewater.

Researchers collected canola stalk and lupin straw from a farm in WA, ground it into a fine powder and added it to water contaminated with lead.
Associate Professor Mehdi Khiadani from ECU's School of Engineering said the powder bound with the lead.

"So when contaminated water is in contact with the powder, it can remove up to 98.5 per cent of the lead in just 30 minutes," he said.

"This work could provide farmers with a way to turn what is currently agricultural waste into a viable and useful product. Western Australia currently produces just under ...