. Earth Science News .
WATER WORLD
Desert cactus purifies contaminated water for aquaculture and drinking
by Staff Writers
San Diego CA (SPX) Mar 17, 2016


Following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster, Norma Alcantar and her USF team began to explore the ability of cacti to clean up oil contaminated seawater. While the research program never moved beyond bench scale, Alcantar says, cactus mucilage was found to be an effective oil dispersant.

Farm-grown fish are an important source of food with significant and worldwide societal and economic benefits, but the fish that come from these recirculating systems can have unpleasant tastes and odors. To clean contaminated water for farmed fish, drinking and other uses, scientists are now turning to an unlikely source - the mucilage or inner "guts" of cacti.

The researchers present their work today at the 251st National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS, the world's largest scientific society, is holding the meeting here through Thursday. It features more than 12,500 presentations on a wide range of science topics.

"We found there is an attraction between the mucilage of cactus and arsenic," says Norma Alcantar, Ph.D. "The mucilage also attracts sediments, bacteria and other contaminants. It captures these substances and forms a large mass or 'floc' that sort of looks like cotton candy. For sediments, the flocs are large and heavy, which precipitate rapidly after the interaction with mucilage."

The technology grew from century-old knowledge that mucilage from some common cacti can clean drinking water. Alcantar was first introduced to this process by her Mexican grandmother who described using boiled prickly pear cactus to capture particles in sediment-laced dirty water. The sediments sank, and the water at the top of the bucket became clear and drinkable.

In 2006, Alcantar, who is at the University of South Florida (USF), began experimenting with the cleansing properties of cactus. She and her team tried the approach to clean contaminated drinking water following the Haiti earthquake and found it worked well. Common worldwide, cacti are a sustainable product and are not only nontoxic, but are edible and considered a delicacy.

Following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster, she and her USF team began to explore the ability of cacti to clean up oil contaminated seawater. While the research program never moved beyond bench scale, she says, cactus mucilage was found to be an effective oil dispersant.

More recently, Alcantar and Tunan Peng, a graduate research assistant in her lab, were approached by representatives from the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida, who asked them to investigate whether cactus extract could clean recirculating aquarium water, as well as water in aquaculture tanks and ponds.

Such tanks, Alcantar and Peng say, create conditions that encourage bacterial growth that in turn develops unpleasant smelly compounds, such as 2-methylisoborneol (known as MIB) and geosmin.

These compounds result in the musty, earthy flavor that is sometimes in the water and the fish that live in it. At harvest, the current practice is to purge the fish and tanks with fresh water, which takes months, uses large amounts of water and stresses the fish, Alcantar says.

In a search for alternatives, Peng and Alcantar turned to cactus mucilage. Now, she adds, they are seeking to determine the mechanism that allows mucilage to be such an effective purifier.

Also, the researchers are currently studying the chemical composition of the mucilage, which is made up of carbohydrates and some 60 sugars, with the goal of synthesizing it in a lab. In addition, they are developing a prototype of a recirculating aquaculture system that uses cactus extract as a cleansing agent, and they will conduct a life cycle analysis of the system.

A brand-new video on the research is available here


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
American Chemical Society
Water News - Science, Technology and Politics






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
WATER WORLD
Clean energy could stress global water resources
Rome, Italy (SPX) Mar 11, 2016
Climate mitigation efforts in the energy system could lead to increasing pressure on water resources, according to a new study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters. Yet increased energy efficiency and a focus on wind and solar power, which require less water, or the switch to more water efficient cooling technologies could help avoid this problem, the study shows. The ne ... read more


WATER WORLD
Canada gives computers to Syrian refugees

Japan, US, France to team up on Fukushima clean-up: official

Japan marks 2011 earthquake, tsunami, nuclear disaster

Canada to takeover Haiti peacekeeping: media

WATER WORLD
Super-clear synapses at super resolutions

Eco-friendly tech could transform European aluminum industry by 2050

Ruby red improves in the microwave oven

Metamaterial separation proposed for chemical, biomolecular uses

WATER WORLD
Clean energy could stress global water resources

Using statistics to predict rogue waves

Taming oceans for 24/7 power

Flooding alleviated by targeted tree planting and river restoration

WATER WORLD
Australian icebreaker home for repairs after Antarctica grounding

NASA tracking the influence of tides on ice shelves in Antarctica

In search of Earth's oldest ice

Greenland's ice is getting darker, increasing risk of melting

WATER WORLD
Unease over Chinese investors buying farms Down Under

Pesticides affect bees' ability to locate flowers, drink nectar

US gives tentative OK to testing genetically modified mosquitoes

Impact of climate change on agriculture may be underestimated

WATER WORLD
Pakistan rains leave 28 dead: officials

Pakistan rains leave 42 dead: officials

Japan's tsunami: Five things after five years

Heavy rain kills six in Oman, UAE: media

WATER WORLD
Three key start-ups from Africa's top science forum

Seven dead in clashes in Africa's oldest wildlife reserve in DR Congo

South African soldier killed in Sudan's Darfur region

Nigerian Army Council clears Boko Haram arms officer

WATER WORLD
Neanderthal diet: Only 20 percent vegetarian

Dalai Lama urges education reform to end human cruelty

Early human habitat, recreated for first time, shows life was no picnic

Early human habitat model reveals a dangerous existence









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.