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Q&As since 1989


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Biotechnology

I am doing a project whereby trying to remove heavy metals from the soil using plants. I am using copper sulphate [on eBay or Amazon] as the heavy metal and testing it on three different plants, radish, mustard, and geranium. I am wondering how much copper sulphate should one put in each of these containers. It will also be grateful if you got me info on copper sulphate. Thank you and please can you get it to me asap. Today will be good :D

Vibiesh V
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2003

First, you must be careful in drawing conclusions. Copper happens to be a very effective biocide, so other heavy metals will not have the same effect. In LA, they have found 2PPM or 2 milligrams of copper sulphate to 1 Liter of water to be quite lethal to aquatic vegetation. 1 PPM will kill several types. Now, do your research--the copper sulphate data you are looking for will be in a material safety data sheet--MSDS! So go back to the top of the home page for this site and find the search engine. Type in MSDS and it will lead you by the hand to sites where you can download it.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida
2003