Plant-based treatments are nothing new, but they are to the world of potable water. Actually ensuring everybody on the planet gets fresh drinking water is one of the biggest humanitarian problems out there right now. And it might have just been solved by a tree.
Specifically, moringa oleifera. It’s been used around the equator for years as a food source and medicinal plant. It’s even been used to clean water, since the Moringa protein in its seeds is a potent microbe killer. The problem is: the effect is temporary, and making it permanent is too expensive.
Or, rather, it was. Researchers have found a way to pull the positively charged protein out of the seed and combine it with negatively charged sand.
The result: a cheap way to filter water with a built-in anti-microbial treatment. Biology: it’s a wonderful thing.
[ via Gizmodo ]
image courtesy jemasmith on Flickr