cactus
Posted by kurniawan.q
Behind the sharp thorns and humble appearance, the cactus is a plant that is very useful. One was to purify the water, as practiced by the inhabitants of Latin America since ancient times.
In ancient times, the indigenous people of Mexico use the decoction of leaves of the cactus to purify dirty river water prior to be processed into drinking water. Soil and other dirt particles directly precipitated so mixed with cactus stew.
Behavior of the Mexican population was then examined by Norma Alcantar, an expert in biochemical engineering from the University of South Florida. Incidentally, Norma itself is a native of Mexican descent who inhabit Latin America.
"When boiled cactus, that comes out is mucilago is thick and sticky sap like glue," says Norma, quoted from Discovery, Wednesday (18 / 8).
For cactus plants, mucilago is protective against the sun. This substance prevents the evaporation of water from the surface of the cactus, so this plant can survive in water-deficient environments such as desert sand.
When mixed with dirty water, mucilago composed of sugars and carbohydrates that bind the fine particles that pollute the water. Those bonds and lumpy, so easy to separate from the clean water.
Norma also examines how the clean water mucilago of arsenic, a dangerous pollutant from industrial and agricultural waste. Arsenic can cause cancer, it can also be bound by mucilago, a molecule large enough to be filtered by sand.
Not only that, mucilago can also kill bacteria that is one of the dangerous pollutants in drinking water. Not yet known exactly how the mechanism, but can produce mucilago Norma claimed that 98% of clean water free of bacteria.
Based on these studies, she developed a water purification system that uses filters containing mucilago. Very economical because mucilago fresh from a single leaf type prickly pear cactus (Prickly pear cactus) which is wide enough to purify water for drinking needs of one family over five weeks.
Source - Detikhealth
In ancient times, the indigenous people of Mexico use the decoction of leaves of the cactus to purify dirty river water prior to be processed into drinking water. Soil and other dirt particles directly precipitated so mixed with cactus stew.
Behavior of the Mexican population was then examined by Norma Alcantar, an expert in biochemical engineering from the University of South Florida. Incidentally, Norma itself is a native of Mexican descent who inhabit Latin America.
"When boiled cactus, that comes out is mucilago is thick and sticky sap like glue," says Norma, quoted from Discovery, Wednesday (18 / 8).
For cactus plants, mucilago is protective against the sun. This substance prevents the evaporation of water from the surface of the cactus, so this plant can survive in water-deficient environments such as desert sand.
When mixed with dirty water, mucilago composed of sugars and carbohydrates that bind the fine particles that pollute the water. Those bonds and lumpy, so easy to separate from the clean water.
Norma also examines how the clean water mucilago of arsenic, a dangerous pollutant from industrial and agricultural waste. Arsenic can cause cancer, it can also be bound by mucilago, a molecule large enough to be filtered by sand.
Not only that, mucilago can also kill bacteria that is one of the dangerous pollutants in drinking water. Not yet known exactly how the mechanism, but can produce mucilago Norma claimed that 98% of clean water free of bacteria.
Based on these studies, she developed a water purification system that uses filters containing mucilago. Very economical because mucilago fresh from a single leaf type prickly pear cactus (Prickly pear cactus) which is wide enough to purify water for drinking needs of one family over five weeks.
Source - Detikhealth