The seed that could bring clean water to millions

(left) Unshelled M. oleifera seeds, (middle) shelled seeds, (right) crushed seeds before protein extraction Credit: Carnegie Mellon University College of Engineering

According to the United Nations, 2.1 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water services, the majority of whom live in developing nations.

Carnegie Mellon University’s Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering Professors Bob Tilton and Todd Przybycien recently co-authored a paper with Ph.D. students Brittany Nordmark and Toni Bechtel, and alumnus John Riley, further refining a process that could soon help provide clean water to many in water-scarce regions. The process, created by Tilton’s former student and co-author Stephanie Velegol, uses sand and plant materials readily available in many developing nations to create a cheap and effective water filtration medium, termed "f-sand."

"F-sand" uses proteins from the Moringa oleifera plant, a tree native to India that grows well in tropical and subtropical climates. The tree is cultivated for food and natural oils, and the seeds are already used for a type of rudimentary water purification.

However, this traditional means of purification leaves behind high amounts of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from the seeds, allowing bacteria to regrow after just 24 hours. This leaves only a short window […]

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