The use of activated carbons to remove heavy metals and N-phosphonomethyl)glycine from European wines

The pollution of the planet has exceeded all limits. One aspect of concern is the environmental burden caused by heavy metals. The issue with these metals is that they tend to accumulate in the environment, leading to adverse effects. In the present work, we deal with the detection and removal of specific heavy metals (Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Zinc, Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Iron, Nickel, Selenium, Silver and Arsenic European wines with activated carbon from potato peels (AC-Pot ) and banana peels (AC-Ban). In addition to heavy metals, we use the same activated carbon to remove (N-phosphonomethyl)glycine. Activated carbon derived from potato peels (AC-Pot) and from banana peels (AC-Ban) was prepared and characterized. Then, we selected ten wine samples of various European countries such as Greece, Italy, Austria, France, Portugal, etc., and measured their content of the above heavy metals as well as the chemical substance (N-phosphonomethyl)glycine. We repeated the measurements a few days after the addition of the activated carbons in the wine samples; the same procedure was carried out three more times over 2 years on the same wine samples. The results obtained were quite satisfactory, and the conclusions drawn were very useful for further study. Some metals were more present in the samples, while others had higher rates of removalafter the activated carbon treatment.