Tomato and apple peel used for water treatment
19 Jul 2013
New research suggests cost-effective method of producing potable water.
Scientists at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have used apple and tomato peels to treat water and purify it for consumption.
This low-cost method of water treatment has been developed by Ramakrishna Mallampati and is designed to benefit those areas without readily available clean water by using fruit peels to remove various types of pollutants.
Tomato peel is an effective adsorbent and Mallampati’s study revealed that it can effectively remove contaminants including dissolved organic and inorganic chemicals, dyes and pesticides.
Additionally, Mallampati and associate professor Suresh Valiyaveettil explored the capabilities of apple peel within water purification.
Zirconium-loaded apple peels were found to be able to extract anions such as phosphate, arsenate, arsenite, and chromate ions from aqueous solutions.
Both Mallampati and Valiyaveettil believe that their findings can be applied for water purification to benefit areas most affected by potable water shortage and technological disadvantage.
The findings were published in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces in May 2013.
