The tree that makes water safe

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Date Issued
1989
Language
en
Type
News Item
Accessibility
Open Access
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Citation
CTA. 1989. The tree that makes water safe. Spore 19. CTA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Permanent link to cite or share this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/45012
Abstract/Description
A West German research team has discovered - by accident - a tree in the Sudan whose seeds can render drinking water safe. Moringa oleafera (the horseradish tree) has been used by villagers to remove from their water the mud washed down from the...
Notes
A West German research team has discovered - by accident - a tree in the Sudan whose seeds can render drinking water safe. Moringa oleafera (the horseradish tree) has been used by villagers to remove from their water the mud washed down from the African highlands during the annual floods. Village women grind up the seeds and shake them up with clean water to make a concentrated solution which they add to river water. They stir the mixture for fve minutes, then allow the suspended material to settle for one or two hours; this removes most of the turbidity. Experiments bv Dr Samia Al Azharia Jahn have shown that the active agents in the seeds are polypeptides, which act as polyelectrolytes, binding large numbers of individual mud and clay particles to give a single heavy particle. In addition, Moringa seeds appear to have powerful pungent oils which have antimicrobial properties, and faecal coliform bactena the standard indicators of sewage pollution- are also removed with the mud particles. For more details, contact: Dr Samia Al Azharia Jahn - GTZ - D6236 Eschhorn I - Postfach 5180 WEST GERMANY
Subjects
NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT; ENVIRONMENT;
Organizations Affiliated to the Authors
Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
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