Learning about Water Purification using Seeds from Trees with neutron techniques

Adrian R. Rennie (Uppsala University, Sweden)

Provision of clean water is an essential requirement for health and a major priority throughout the world. An important first step in purification is usually flocculation of particulate impurities so that the majority of mineral particles, plant residues and bacteria are removed by filtration or sedimentation. On a village scale, the crushed seeds from Moringa oleifera have been used as a coagulant. The seed protein is the active ingredient in this respect and is readily available from sustainable sources. The seeds are edible and accepted as safe to use. Neutron experiments (reflection and scattering) provide valuable information about how the protein binds to impurities and suggests how the purification process may be optimised and extended to larger scale purification plants. The results of a co-operation between the Universities of Uppsala and Botswana and the Polytechnic of Namibia will be described.

Kwaambwa, Hellsing & Rennie (2010) Langmuir 26, 3902-3910. Kwaambwa & Rennie (2012) Biopolymers 97, 209-218.

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