Tomato, Apple Peel Purifies Polluted Water

SINGAPOREWater scarcity may be a thing of the past thanks to apple and tomato peels, according to a recent study published in the May issue of the American Chemical Society journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces and in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal RSC Advances.

Almost 800 million people worldwide don't have access to clean water. Fruit and vegetables are going to waste. During agricultural production, processing, distribution, in the supermarkets and by the consumers, 50% of all fruits and vegetables in the European Union go to waste. Those fruits and vegetables can go to a good use.

Ramakrishna Mallampati, Ph.D., candidate and lead researcher of the study came up with a way to purify water using peels of apples and tomatoes that can help disadvantaged communities around the world and be a long-term inexpensive solution.

The two-year study found that the peel from eight tomatoes can almost fully remove heavy metal ions, such as lead, from a liter of water in an hour.

Pollutants that enter water channels including waste disposal can be removed easily, but at what price?

"There are many other products already in the market, but...developing countries cannot afford these costly technologies," Mallampati said.

Scarcity of clean water is expected to hit record numbers due to over usage, lack of conservation and dwindling natural supply worldwide.

Food and water waste is occurring all across the globe and it can be prevented. Our growing population is expected to hit 9.1 billion people by 2050. With this growing number, food waste will increase causing profit loss for farmers and producers not to mention an increase in prices for consumers.

Mallampati, along with other students are looking into the use of other fruit peels and natural fibers for water purification.