The moringo plant is indigenous to Africa. Initial tests, done in collaboration with a group at Tshwane University of Technology in South Africa, show that the leaves of this plant contain chemicals that adsorb metals that are dissolved in water. We want to study if these chemicals in the moringo plant can:

1.Adsorb metals that are in waste water streams so that these streams can be purified

2.Selectively adsorb valuable metals such as platinum and cobalt, so that we can rewin these metals from waste streams

3.Form nanoparticles (with or without adsorbed metal particles) that can be used for medical applications

This project is funded by the national research foundation in South Africa.