A research team from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has developed an innovative way to purify water, based on apple peels. As an inexpensive, low-energy bioremediation system the apple peel approach could be useful in remote communities where electricity and money are both in short supply. The research actually started out with tomatoes before moving on to apples.

 

As for why tomato peels, according to the NUS team tomatoes are the world’s second most-consumed vegetable. Copious amounts of skin, seeds and other fibers are available as leftover waste when tomatoes are canned or processed into other food products, which makes it a widely available and relatively cheap material to work with.

 

Tomato peels are a fantastic adsorbent in terms of their ability to remove metal ions and organic pollutants in water, including dissolved organic and inorganic chemicals, dyes and pesticides.

 

Moving right along to apple peels, in a study published recently in the American Chemical Society’s journal Applied Materials & Interfaces, the NUS team doped the surface of the peels with zirconium oxides, which enhanced their ability to absorb negatively charged pollutants in water.

 

The new study found that the supercharged peels efficiently removed phosphate, aresenate, arsenite and chromate ions.

 

The NUS team will be looking at other fruits for low cost bioremediation, and don’t be surprised if banana peels, coconut fibers, and peanut shells make the list.