Flood is among the natural disasters that commonly happened in Malaysia every year. During the flood, victims faced clean water shortages and deterioration of the environment resulting in long waiting times for aid to access. Hence, affordable and efficient filters are needed to supply clean water in the affected areas. Application of xylem tissue inside plant stem has the potential as a filter for water filtration. This research focuses on xylem tissue in Malaysian tropical plants from cassava stem. Cassava stems were prepared in a small-scale set-up as the xylem was used as a filter. Effects of cross-sectional area and hydrostatic pressure were analyzed and the results showed a directly proportional relationship with permeate flow rate. Upon filtration with red dye solution, total dye removal was achieved using a xylem with a minimal length of 3 cm and onwards. While for bacteria removal, E. coli bacteria have been removed when tested with a bacteria count plate. Thus, this study demonstrated the potential of the xylem tissue of the cassava plant as affordable and available natural raw materials to be used as water filters during an emergency.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.