cilantro purifies drinking water in developing countries cheaply and sustainably _ inhabitat -...

7/27/2019 Cilantro Purifies Drinking Water in Developing Countries Cheaply and Sustainably _ Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building

1/6

Like 1.1

Cilantro PurifiesDrinking Water inDeveloping CountriesCheaply and Sustainablyby Lucy Wang , 09/15/13filed under: News , Sustainable Materials , Water Issues

log in | sign up

AboutMissionSubmit a storyShopAdvertise With UsSupport UsPressContact

ArchitectureInteriorsProductsTechnologyEnergyTransportationFashionArtKidsContests

1

eet

9

ro Purifies Drinking Water in Developing Countries Cheaply and S... http://inhabitat.com/cilantro-purifies-drinking-water-in-developing-count...

19/09/201


2/6

l

No longer just a flavorful garnish , cilantro has taken center stage in studies that show how the leafy herb might be a new, low-cost solution to purifyingdrinking water. Popularly used in Mexican and Southeast Asian cuisine, cilantro is being hailed for its potential as a biosorbent that can remove lead andother toxic heavy metals from contaminated water .

Typically, water purification relies on advanced technology that uses activated carbon an approach that is often too expensive for most developingcountries, particularly rural areas. Thus, Douglas Schauer, Ph.D. has focused his research on biosorbents, low-cost and sustainable alternatives that rely onnatural materials such as microbes and plants. In explaining the appeal of biosorbents, Schauer describes a scenario: When the filter in a water purificationpitcher needs to be changed, they could go outside, gather a handful of cilantro or some other plant, and presto, theres a new filter ready to purify the water.

Also known as coriander and Chinese parsley, the plant is easily grown both at home and in the wild, making it readily available for many developingcountries afflicted by a contaminated water supply. The key to the plants success lies in the architecture of its outer cellular walls that make cilantro ideal for

absorbing toxic metals such as lead. Results from small-scale experiments carried out in Mexico have supported Schauers research and have even suggestedthat cilantro was more effective at water purification than conventional methods.

Via Phys

Images via Wikimedia , likeablerodent

9Tweet 1 print email thisemail facebook this facebook this

Related Posts


19/09/201


3/6

Connect with:

or your inhabitat account below

NEW USER

Username:

E-mail:

Sign me up for weekly Inhabitatupdates

CURRENTUSERS LOGIN

Username:

Password:

Remember Me

Lost your password?Let's make sure you're a real person:

New Filter Uses Bugs and Slime to Clean Poisoned WaterAustralian scientists have developed a new water filter that can cheaply and easily filter arsenic out of drinking water. The technology it uses, however,isnt

Scientists Develop Plasma-Treated Nano Filter to Clean Water in the Developing WorldA team of international researchers have found a new way to purify water in the developing world. Its a filter made of plasma-charged carbonnano-tubes

Cactus Gum Can Purify Water Cheaply and EffectivelyCounterintuitive as it may seem, cacti might be the key to cheap and easy water purification. Assistant Professor Norma Alcantar at the University of South

LIFESAVER Jerrycans Literally Save Lives with 5 Gallons of Pure Drinking WaterGizmag reports that the LIFESAVER Jerrycan eliminates 99.999995 percent of bacteria and 99.999 percent of vi ruses is contaminated water, making it afantastic solution for

LEAVE A COMMENT

9 Comments

Andrew Payne September 16, 2013 at 1:05 am

@bennyh they could let the cilantro biodegrade and dessicate until youd basically have dirt and contaminants. I think they could develop or use anexisting decontamination process on the remainder.

1.

bennyh September 15, 2013 at 4:44 pm

What to do with the Cilantro after it filters out the contaminated water? If its full of lead, you probably shouldnt eat it or feed it to anything youreplanning to eat later.

2.

Kevin Haendiges September 15, 2013 at 1:39 pm

Having visited a number of developing nations in my Navy days, those countries would cut a lot of the contamination by the simple expedient of not

3.


19/09/201


4/6

dumping their raw sewage into their water supply. Sanitation standards in the Third World are nowhere near as stringent as ours, they could clean theirwater most efficiently by not taking a dump in it.

EchtoGammut September 15, 2013 at 12:56 pm

Great idea, except cilantro is really hard to grow. It requires a moist cool environment, unlike the spicy food it is associated with. There is no way thiscould be grown in most areas that need cheap water filtration, which means it will have to be imported.

4.

Zohar Atai September 14, 2013 at 7:57 pm

DO you know if the Cilantro filters Fluoride?

5.

rdrewd September 14, 2013 at 12:56 pm

Using a food product to filter out heavy metals makes me nervous. How to make sure that no one consumes the cilantro after it has done its filtering job?

6.

Avarana September 13, 2013 at 4:35 pm

It would be interesting to see an actual application of this investigation. The link describes it as tea bag packets or filters.

7.

laurenvines September 13, 2013 at 3:49 pm

I am interested to know how much is needed in proportion to amount of water and how long it takes to purify the water.

8.

Irene McDonagh September 13, 2013 at 12:07 am

THANK U FOR THE INFO.

9.

Featured Author

Lucy Wang

41 articles

RECENT ARTICLES

Over 20,000 Kilograms of Fake Beef Seized in Xi'an, China

UK Report Finds Up To 40% of All Fruit and Vegetables Are Wasted Because of Ugliness

China to Issue Monthly List of 10 Worst Air-Polluted Cities

Gorgeous Wind Portal is Made of 5,000 Hand-Folded Paper Windmills

Read InhabitatArchitecture RSS Architecture >Landscape RSS Landscape >Interiors RSS Interiors >Furniture RSS Furniture >Products RSS Products >Gadgets RSS Gadgets >Fashion RSS Fashion >Graphics RSS Graphics >Transportation RSS Transportation >Energy RSS Energy >

Search Categories


19/09/201


5/6

Where are you located?enter your zip cod

Recent Posts

Old Public Bus Salvaged to Create Affordable Housing in IsraelOver 20,000 Kilograms of Fake Beef Seized in Xi'an, ChinaDubail Begert Architectes Renovates Swiss Home with a Fake Green Wall

Recent Comments

All you can do is dream. Aptera Motors went broke.@yrag01, indeed all new technology are expensive. But it doesn't ...I think these are gorgeous!

Browse by Keyword

"sustainable architecture" eco design green architecture Green Building green design green transportation Recycled Materials Solar Power Sustainable Buildingsustainable design

get the free Inhabitat newsletter

Me gusta A Silvia Daz Barrios ,

follow inhabitat on:

Inhabitat Facebook Inhabitat TwitterInhabitat RSSInhabitat Flickr

What are you looking for? (Solar,HVAC, etc.)

pop ula r

today

all time most

commented

HOW TO: Grow anAvocado Tree from an

Avocados are one of thewonderful fruits of

57 Comments >

19-Year-Old DevelopsOcean Cleanup Array

19-year-old Boyan Slathas unveiled plans to

133 Comments >

Mishak Henner'sApocalyptic Photos

The images, discoveredby Henner

12 Comments >

Couple Leave TheirJobs to Build a

To make their dreamlikehome and watch the sun

6 Comments >

more popular stories >


19/09/201


6/6

Bridgette Meinhold

INTERVIEW: Artist R Nelson Parrish Talks About His Eye-Popping Bioresin Color/Fast InstallationINHABITAT: How does the term Colorfast describe your latest show? R Nelson Parrish: The term Colorfast originally is a textile industry term derivedat the beginning of the last century. It defines how a color cannot fade, wash out, or be diluted over time,READ MORE >

Andrew Michler

INHABITAT INTERVIEW: Green Architect & Cradle to Cradle Founder William McDonoughINHABITAT: What inspired you to write 'Cradle to Cradle' (the book) and launch the Cradle to Cradle system? William McDonough: From an earlyage, I was fascinated by differing attitudes towards resources. Growing up in Japan and Hong Kong, I was given myREAD MORE >

Bridgette Meinhold

INHABITAT INTERVIEW: Waterstudio's Koen Olthuis on FLOAT!Photocredits: Architect Koen Olthuis - Waterstudio.NL and Pieter Kers FLOAT! is a beautiful volume that explores the world of floating architecturethrough historic, current, and future developments as well as the technologies behind them. Eye-catchingREAD MORE >

Jill Fehrenbacher

HOW TO: Make Homemade, Healthy, Organic Popsicles To Beat the Heat!This summer's been one of the hottest yet, but if you're already sweating from the intense heat, you can rest easy -- I've got a sweet, refreshing treat thatis sure too cool you down! Popsicles are a delightful and refreshing staple for the summer season,READ MORE >

more inhabitat authors >

Tweets about "@inhabitat"

Inhabitat.com 2013 | About Inhabitat | Contact Us | Advertising with Inhabitat | Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Inhabitat, LLC

Find us on Facebook

Inhabitat

Like

337,011 people like Inhabitat .

Facebook social plugin


cilantro purifies drinking water in developing countries cheaply and sustainably _ inhabitat -...

Documents