These Teens Developed a Seed That Can Cleanse Polluted Water

Two teenage Brazilian students, 15 and 18 years old, won the Latin America Google Science fair that awards young scientists for innovative projects in science and technology with a magic seed that cleans polluted water.

João Gabriel and Letícia Pereira’s project on supplying clean water for regions in need proved that seeds of moringa oleífera can be used to filter contaminated water, remove impurities, and make water drinkable again. The idea is to use the plant as an easy access alternative to remove pollution instead of using chemicals.

According to the students, the idea came to them after an incident left a nearby city without clean water.

“We wanted to do something to help the ones in need after the disaster in Mariana, where a broken dam sent tons of mining residues to the rivers, and help them to filter [the] water” says Leticia, a recent high school grad from Fortaleza, Ceará in northeastern Brazil.

MORE: Teenage Girl Turns Plastic Trash Into Million-Dollar Biofuel

The project, Magic Seed: Transforming Polluted Water Into Drinkable Water, has been developing since the beginning of the year and only just finished before the competition deadline.

With the award, Joao and Leticia are searching for sponsors in order to compete in the finals of the international competition taking place in California come September.

Filter Out Negativity, Click To Share With Your Friends – Photo by Olhar Digital