Researchers at the University of South Florida have discovered that the abundant prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus indica) just might be an easy and cheap way to provide water purification to developing nations.
The mucilage (glue like substance secreted by plants), when extracted from the cacti and mixed with water, acts as a natural water purifier (a flocculant – precipitates substances into flakes) for sediment, bacteria and pollutants (selenium, chromium, cadmium and arsenic). The pollutants stick to the mucilage and settle to the bottom, providing clean drinking water in the process.
The prickly pear cactus discovery from Assistant Professor Norma Alcantar, represents an effective natural filter that may have a significant impact on developing nations currently without access to clean water, but where cactus can grow.
The discovery is not entirely new though, ever since the 19th-century Mexican communities have used the cactus as a natural water filter.
Visit: University of South Florida
Via New Scientist
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written by surabhi , May 26, 2010