What Helps Your Drinking Water Remain Clean

June 23, 2026

Scientists have discovered that moringa seeds can help pull microplastics out of water, rivalling standard chemical treatments. The plant-based extract causes plastic particles to clump together, making them easier to filter away.

In some conditions, it even outperformed conventional chemicals. This low-cost, natural solution could be a game-changer for cleaner drinking water, especially in smaller communities.

Researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology of São Paulo State University (ICT-UNESP) in São Jose dos Campos, Brazil, have found that Moringa oleifera, commonly known as moringa or white acacia, could help remove microplastics from water. The findings were published in ACS Omega, a journal of the American Chemical Society.

Moringa is native to India and grows well in many tropical regions. Its leaves and seeds are widely consumed as food due to their nutritional value. Scientists have also been exploring the seeds for years because of their potential role in water purification.

*Moringa Seed Extract Performs Like Chemical Treatment*

“We showed that the saline extract from the seeds performs similarly to aluminum sulfate, which is used in treatment plants to coagulate water containing microplastics. In more alkaline waters, it performed even better than the chemical product,” says Gabrielle Batista, the first author of the study. She carried out the research during her master’s degree in the Post-Graduate Program in Civil and Environmental Engineering (PPGECA) at the Bauru School of Engineering (FEB) at UNESP.

The study was led by Adriano Goncalves dos Reis, a professor at ICT-UNESP and in the PPGECA at FEB-UNESP. He also heads the project “Direct and In-Line Filtration for the Removal of Microplastics from Drinking Water,” which is funded by FAPESP.

“The only drawback found so far regarding aluminum sulfate was the increase in dissolved organic matter, the removal of which could make the process more expensive. However, on a small scale, such as on rural properties and in small communities, the method could be used cost-effectively and efficiently,”