4/8/2017 World's first water treatment techniques using apple and tomato peels -- ScienceDaily

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World's first water treatment techniques using apple and

tomato peels
Date: July 18, 2013

Source: National University of Singapore

Summary: Scientists experimented with water treatment techniques using materials that are easily
available, and came up with novel ways to purify water using the peels of apples and
tomatoes.

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Mr Ramakrishna Mallampati, a PhD candidate at the National University of

Singapore (NUS), experimented with water treatment techniques using materials
that are easily available, and came up with novel ways to purify water using the
peels of apples and tomatoes.

One of the most crucial problems affecting the world today is the scarcity of potable water. In a bid to
make clean water available at low cost, Mr Ramakrishna Mallampati, a PhD candidate at the National
University of Singapore (NUS), experimented with water treatment techniques using materials that are
easily available, and came up with novel ways to purify water using the peels of apples and tomatoes.
This is the first time that the peels of the two fruits have been used to remove different types of pollutants
in water.

The studies were conducted under the guidance of Associate Professor Suresh Valiyaveettil of the
Department of Chemistry at the NUS Faculty of Science. The NUS team hopes that their water purification
methods can benefit communities living in places where there is little electricity or resources to set up a
water purification plant.

Scarcity of clean water

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4/8/2017 World's first water treatment techniques using apple and tomato peels -- ScienceDaily

The scarcity of clean water is expected to worsen in the future due to over usage, lack of conservation
methods and dwindling natural supply of clean water, even in countries with significant water resources.

Many hazardous pollutants enter the water supply through many channels, including waste disposal,
industry effluent release or rain water drainage. Such pollutants need to be removed before the water
can be consumed. However, most water purification technologies are not accessible to economically
disadvantaged people around the world.

The challenge for scientists is to develop robust water purification methods that could carry out water
treatment at low cost, with minimal energy consumption and using less chemicals in the process so as to
reduce negative impact on the environment.

Tomato peel: an efficient adsorbent for water purification

Tomato is the second most consumed vegetable in the world, with approximately 30 per cent consumed
as processed products. The disposal of the tomato skin and its other fibrous materials is an economic
waste for many food processing industries.

Mr Ramakrishna evaluated the effectiveness of tomato peel as an adsorbent by using different pollutants.
He also studied the structure of the tomato peels to assess their efficiency as biomaterials to remove toxic
metal ions and organic pollutants from water. In addition, factors such as the pH, nature and amount of
adsorbent used for extraction were considered to establish the optimum conditions under which tomato
peel could remove various pollutants from water.

His study revealed that tomato peels can effectively remove different contaminants in water, including
dissolved organic and inorganic chemicals, dyes and pesticides, and they can also be used in large scale
applications. The results were published in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal RSC Advances in
September 2012.

Apple peel: a biomass for water purification

In addition to tomato peels, Mr Ramakrishna also explored the viability of using the peels of apples for
water purification, as apple peels are easily available as biowaste from food processing industries and
they are biodegradable.

Similar to tomato peels, apple peels can also remove a range of dissolved water pollutants through the
adsorption process. In order to enhance the ability of apple peels towards extraction of negatively
charged pollutants, Mr Ramakrishna immobilised naturally occurring zirconium oxides onto the surface of
apple peels. Zirconium loaded apple peels were found to be able to extract anions such as phosphate,
arsenate, arsenite, and chromate ions from aqueous solutions. This method of water purification can also
be used for large scale applications.

The findings are published in the American Chemical Society journal ASC Applied Materials & Interfaces
in May 2013.

Research findings to benefit communities living in remote villages

Both Mr Ramakrishna and Assoc Prof Suresh hope that the findings on the use apple and tomato peels
for water purification can be applied to benefit economically and technologically disadvantaged farmers
living in remote villages, who depend on contaminated ground water or local rivers for their daily water

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4/8/2017 World's first water treatment techniques using apple and tomato peels -- ScienceDaily

needs. They intend to work with non-governmental organisations to transfer their research findings and
knowledge to benefit the people.

Mr Ramakrishna and other students in Assoc Prof Suresh's research group are now looking into the use
of other fruit peels and natural fibers for water purification.

Story Source:

Materials provided by National University of Singapore. Note: Content may be edited for style and
length.

Journal Reference:

1. Ramakrishna Mallampati, Suresh Valiyaveettil. Apple peels a versatile biomass for water
purification? ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2013; 130501174113000 DOI:
10.1021/am400901e

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National University of Singapore. "World's first water treatment techniques using apple and tomato peels."
ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 18 July 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130718101049.htm>.

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