Can seeds from Moringa tree be utilized for water purification?

Pure water is said to be a chief necessity for good health. Moreover, optional inexpensive and secure techniques are apparently needed in several countries. Researchers from Uppsala University in collaboration with The University of Botswana supposedly explain how extracts from seeds of the Moringa oleifera tree may be utilized for water purification.

Flocculation of particulate impurities seems to be a general primary stage in purification of water. This could frequently apply more aluminum or iron salts. Aluminium, predominantly, appears to encompass unwanted health connotations. A different process that apparently utilizes natural extract from seeds of the Moringa oleifera tree is said to be used in Africa.

The research illustrates how extremely minute quantities of the protein from these seeds may fasten powerfully to surfaces and therefore could cause pollutant particles to aggregate. The Scattering Centre at Ångström Laboratory and the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Uppsala University is said to be centre of expertise in using a potent method called neutron reflection to gauge structure and composition of layers of merely a few nanometres at the interface between a solid and a liquid.

A teamwork with the University of Botswana where there appears to be a long interest in utilizing natural products has apparently resulted in a research project that may offer vital insights. Supposedly protein molecules from the Moringa oleifera seeds interrelate, fastening powerfully both to each other and surfaces so as to cause aggregation in to big lumps that may be promptly eliminated from the water.

Adrian Rennie, Professor at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Uppsala University, commented, “It is nice to see how the basic interactions of molecules can play a role in solving practical problems.”

The researcher further mentioned that understanding of the process may lead to further development in water purification with materials that are locally available and environmentally friendly.

The research was published in the American Chemical Society journal on interfaces, Langmuir.