RIYADH: A research team from Abha’s King Khalid University has obtained a patent for an advanced method that uses peels of prickly pears for water purification.
Head of the research team from the university’s chemistry department, Prof. Fatimah Al-Zahrani, said that the idea behind the study was to make use of agricultural waste by converting it into an active material that can be used for treating industrial and chemical pollutants.
According to the professor, the developed technology is capable of removing 98 percent of pollutants and has economic and sustainable benefits as it allows the peels to be reused several times without notable loss of efficiency.
The distinguishing factor is an innovative mechanism that exposes the peels to ultrasonic waves and alcohol-based solutions to enhance porosity and absorption capacity in different environments.
Prickly pears are a plant native to the Kingdom and are especially abundant in the Baha region, with 26 farms producing between 40 and 70 tonnes annually.
