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Moringa Oleifera And
Water Treatment
Uppsala University
Scientists
discovered that seed material can give a more efficient purification process
than conventional synthetic materials in use today.
Seeds from Moringa oleifera trees
can be used to purify water.
Uppsala University leads
a research group which has discovered that seed material can give a more
efficient purification process than conventional synthetic materials in use
today.
Clean
water is essential for good health. In many countries it is still difficult to
obtain clean water. Even developed countries can benefit from a process that
treats waste water without addition of further synthetic chemicals.
In a
project lead by Uppsala University, scientists from several countries have
investigated how an extract from seeds of Moringa trees can be used to purify
water.
A protein in the seeds binds to
impurities causing them to aggregate so that the clusters can be separated from
the water.
The
study recently published in the journal Colloids and Surfaces A takes a step
towards optimisation of the water purification process.
Researchers in Uppsala together
with colleagues from Lund as well as Namibia, Botswana, France and the USA have
studied the microscopic structure of aggregates formed with the protein.
The results show that the
clusters of material (flocs) that are produced with the protein are much more
tightly packed than those formed with conventional flocculating agents.
This is better for water
purification as such flocs are more easily separated.
The new
study compares protein from the seeds of different varieties of Moringa trees
that are grown in different countries.
It also allows estimates of the
optimum amount of seed extract that should be used to minimise residues in
treated water.
The
work used research facilities at the Institut Laue-Langevin in France and the
NIST Center for Neutron Research in the USA.
Powerful research tools such as
those for neutron scattering are important to tackle challenges facing developing
countries as well as industrialised regions.
There
is a broad interest in new, sustainable methods for water treatment.
The research group has already
presented results to government agencies and public bodies, particularly in
Namibia and Botswana.
There are now discussions on
best use of Moringa seeds, both to substitute conventional materials in large
water treatment plants and in small scale units.
"We can envisage that similar
materials could be used in Europe both to produce drinking water and to treat
wastewater," says Professor Adrian Rennie.
"Neutrons are an ideal tool for
understanding the internal structure of these complex organic aggregates thanks
to a contrast matching technique that only highlights the protein components
absorbed to the particles," says Dr Lionel Porcar from the
Institut Laue-Langevin.
"Additionally
the use of Ultra Small Angle Neutron Scattering allowed the mechanism of
aggregation of these large flocs the to be followed non-invasively."
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