Exploration of cassava plant xylem for water treatment: preparation, characterization and filtration capability

Abstract

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.

From Plant to Chemistry: Sources of Antinociceptive Non-Opioid Active Principles for Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design

“…More specifically, in diabetic rats, phlorizin was shown to inhibit intestinal and renal glucose uptake via sodium-dependent glucose transporters (SGLTs), resulting in a reduction of hyperglycemia without altering insulin secretion. Nowadays, the interest in combined SGLT2/SGLT1 inhibitors is growing continuously, and these compounds are also thought to be applied with insulin in the therapy of type 1 diabetes [ 9 ].…”