Environmental Monitor magazine reports on Liberko’s research

An article titled “Seeking an Elegant, Affordable Solution to Contamination,” published by the Environmental Monitor magazine on Dec. 11, 2018, takes an extensive look at research by Professor of Chemistry Charley Liberko.

Liberko’s project explores the use of lignin from sawdust to remove metal ions contaminating water, which Liberko knows could be helpful in areas of the world where clean drinking water is hard to find. The chemistry professor has been working with students on testing and developing the project over the past couple of years. During the Cornell Summer Research Institute 2018, Liberko and Ben Hewson ’19 were able to remove up to 90 percent of metal ions in the water.

“My hope is that a few other researchers might take up this or a similar project and that a useful solution to an important problem will be found,” Liberko told the Environmental Monitor. “Lignin certainly seems to be one of the great untapped chemical feedstocks. Unlocking its potential is a challenging problem but the potential benefits are enormous.”

According to its website, the Environmental Monitor is a journal covering products, projects, and trends in the environmental monitoring industry.