Moringa plant purifies water

Water shortage in the country may be lesser of a problem if unclean water may be reused. The University of Botswana, (UB) Department of Chemistry has done research that shows that the famous Moringa plant can be used to purify water. The Moringa Olifera plant as termed scientifically grows all across Africa, South America and parts of Asia.

The plant is famous for its multi purpose medicinal qualities. Dr Florence Nareetsile, a lecturer in Organic Chemistry at the UB said the research was done grinding moringa seeds and putting them in untreated water. The results showed that some impurities were extracted including harmful bacteria and some metals such as cobalt, iron and zinc. She said however, for human consumption, purifying water further by boiling was the best option as it is yet to be research what effects moringa purified water may have on humans after consumption.

Dr Nareetsile noted that moringa could be a cheaper option of purifying water especially in rural areas where treated flowing water may be scares. To treat the water, moringa dried seeds are crushed after discarding seed kernels that have dark spots. The powder from the seeds is then mixed with water (two spoons of seeds with one cup of water) and shaken for five minutes in a bottle. The mixture is then left until the unwanted particles sink and the water above is clear. According to the researchers, the slow mix kills always bacteria in the water when left for about an hour. It is said that the process removes about 90% of the bacteria and impurities.

According to Science 2.0, a scientific research website, “A low-cost water purification technique that uses seeds from the Moringa oleifera tree can produce a 90.00% to 99.99% bacterial reduction in previously untreated water”.