Skip to main content
Home

Dedicated to discovery

  • Company
    • About us
    • Careers
    • Events
  • Support
    • Laboratory Planning
  • Contact
  • DE
  • ES
  • FR
  • IT
  • PT
  • EN-US
Home
  • Products
    • PURELAB®
      • PURELAB® Dispenser
      • PURELAB® Flex
      • PURELAB® Quest
      • PURELAB® Pharma Compliance
      • PURELAB® Chorus 1 Complete
      • PURELAB® Chorus 1
      • PURELAB® Chorus 2
      • PURELAB® Chorus 3
      • Purelab Chorus 2+ (RO/DI/UV) / (RO/EDI/UV)
    • CENTRA®
      • CENTRA® R60/120
      • CENTRA® R200
      • CENTRA® RDS
    • MEDICA®
      • MEDICA® 150
      • MEDICA® 7/15
      • MEDICA® BIOX 2024
      • MEDICA® Pro-R & Pro-RE
      • MEDICA® R200
      • MEDICA® EDI 15/30
      • MEDICA® Pro-LPS
      • MEDICA® Pro EDI 60/120
      • MEDICA® BIOX
      • Hubgrade
    • BIOPURE®
      • BIOPURE® 300/600
    • PURENERGY® 30
    • ELGA Full Product Range
  • Applications
    • Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy
    • Cell and Tissue Culture
    • Clinical Biochemistry
    • Electrochemistry
    • Gas Chromatography
    • General lab water requirement
    • High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)
    • Immunochemistry
    • Liquid Chromatography
      • High Performance Liquid Chromatography
    • Mass Spectrometry
    • Microbiology
    • Molecular Biology
    • Spectrophotometry
  • Technologies
    • Activated Carbon
    • Electrodeionization (EDI)
    • Filtration
    • Ion Exchange
    • PureSure
    • Reverse Osmosis
    • Ultraviolet
  • Impurities In Water
    • Dissolved Gases
    • Inorganic Compounds
    • Microorganisms & Bacteria
    • Organic Compounds
    • Particulates
  • Knowledge
    • BROSCHÜREN
    • Blog
    • Case Studies
    • Ultrapure water
    • Guides and White Papers
  • Where to buy
  • Contact us
Home
  • Contact us
  • Products
    • PURELAB®
      • PURELAB® Dispenser
      • PURELAB® Flex
      • PURELAB® Quest
      • PURELAB® Pharma Compliance
      • PURELAB® Chorus 1 Complete
      • PURELAB® Chorus 1
      • PURELAB® Chorus 2
      • PURELAB® Chorus 3
      • Purelab Chorus 2+ (RO/DI/UV) / (RO/EDI/UV)
    • CENTRA®
      • CENTRA® R60/120
      • CENTRA® R200
      • CENTRA® RDS
    • MEDICA®
      • MEDICA® 150
      • MEDICA® 7/15
      • MEDICA® BIOX 2024
      • MEDICA® Pro-R & Pro-RE
      • MEDICA® R200
      • MEDICA® EDI 15/30
      • MEDICA® Pro-LPS
      • MEDICA® Pro EDI 60/120
      • MEDICA® BIOX
      • Hubgrade
    • BIOPURE®
      • BIOPURE® 300/600
    • PURENERGY® 30
    • ELGA Full Product Range
  • Applications
    • Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy
    • Cell and Tissue Culture
    • Clinical Biochemistry
    • Electrochemistry
    • Gas Chromatography
    • General lab water requirement
    • High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)
    • Immunochemistry
    • Liquid Chromatography
      • High Performance Liquid Chromatography
    • Mass Spectrometry
    • Microbiology
    • Molecular Biology
    • Spectrophotometry
  • Technologies
    • Activated Carbon
    • Electrodeionization (EDI)
    • Filtration
    • Ion Exchange
    • PureSure
    • Reverse Osmosis
    • Ultraviolet
  • Impurities In Water
    • Dissolved Gases
    • Inorganic Compounds
    • Microorganisms & Bacteria
    • Organic Compounds
    • Particulates
  • Knowledge
    • BROSCHÜREN
    • Blog
    • Case Studies
    • Ultrapure water
    • Guides and White Papers
  • Where to buy
  • Contact us
  • Company
    • About us
    • Careers
    • Events
  • Support
    • Laboratory Planning
  • Contact
  • DE
  • ES
  • FR
  • IT
  • PT
  • EN-US
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Global Legal Compliance
  • Patents
  • Trademarks
  • Impressum

 

Let's talk about lab water

  • Categories
    • Analytical Chemistry
    • Biotechnology
    • Clinical & Pharma
    • Cool Science
    • Environment & Sustainability
    • Future Science
    • Going Green
    • Life in The Lab
    • Life Science Results
    • Pharma
    • PURELAB Product Design
    • Science of the Future
    • The Solution Behind Great Science
    • Water In The Lab
    • Water Purity
  • Authors
    • ELGA Editorial Team_cloned
    • fbiederbick
    • ELGA Editorial Team
    • rswinka
    • Dr Bethany Campbell
    • Natasha Zarach
    • Dr Paul Whitehead
    • Dr Alison Halliday
    • John Walker
Water Purity
Cool Science

Biomimicry: The Natural Course to R&D

5 Mar 2020
- by ELGA Editorial Team

Fruit filters

Scientists and engineers have often turned to the natural world to find solutions to various complex and simple problems. Why re-engineer a solution from scratch, when nature has clearly refined the process through a series of trial and error events throughout it’s 4 billion year history?
Nature is obviously a great source for learning and one of the best R&D labs ever created.

Natural Biomimicry

The field of biomimicry has given rise to a number of technological innovations. One of the most commonly associated technologies with the natural world has been the observation of birds for flight. Electricity has been learnt from eels, while the strong properties of spider webs has evolved parachute cords and the sticky pads from the tiny toes of a gecko have been inspiration for an adhesive so strong that a small business card is reported to carry 700lb.

Although not likely to be pure enough for the requirements of a lab, we have pulled together a few different ways that the natural world purifies its water.

1. Apple & Tomato Peels

Bioremediation of apple and tomato peels have been found to absorb negatively charged pollutants in water. The team at the National University of Singapore (NUS) began the study with tomato peels due to the fruit being one of the most commonly eaten foods in the world. It was found that tomatoes remove organic pollutants including metal ions from water.

The study continued with apples, where the ability of the peel to absorb water containing negatively charged pollutants was enhanced by coating with zirconium oxides. This effectively removed ions such as phosphate, arsenite and chromate. Current research in Brazil is looking at other materials such as banana peels, peanut shells and coconut fibres for similar properties.

2. Root Filtration

In nature, peat is used as a natural water filtration system. Bogs, where peat is formed, are naturally high in organic material and have a low pH.  The tight mesh of roots and branches as they are gradually compressed by the peat effectively act as a barrier, filtering out possible pollutants in the water.

According to research conducted by Penn State horticulturists, plant roots that are mixed with layers of ‘rubbish’ can filter and purify the dirty water from a washing machine. This in turn can be recycled for use in growing plants and flushing toilets. In a time when the issues around water scarcity are becoming better understood, as highlighted by the UN World Water Day, it is a great way of recycling our planet’s precious supply of water.

3. Pine Leaves

A team at MIT have discovered that the leaves of a pine tree can produce up to four-liters of pure water every day.

A small piece of sapwood from a conifer can filter up to 99% of bacteria, including E. coli through the xylem tissue that typically transports the sap from the roots of a tree to the leaves. The team found that the hydrated sapwood can filter out particles greater than 70nm in size, and could possibly pave the way for the exchange of carbon-based filters for the much cheaper wood options.

While scientists will continue to monitor and mimic nature to solve human problems of all scales, we can continue to look at ways to improve our technologies and designs of water purification systems for ultrapure water.

 

Explore more from our blog

18 Mar 2024
PURELAB flex - A simple solution to reducing your lab's carbon footprint
7 Dec 2023
The Power of Water as a Solvent in Green Chemistry
16 Nov 2023
Learning the Secrets of a Unique Ecosystem in the Heart of Siberia
9 Nov 2023
Organic Dry Pea: The Sustainable Protein Powerhouse of the Future
27 Okt. 2023
Kontamination von Lebensmitteln – Der ständige Bedarf an sicheren Analysen
27 Okt. 2023
Von der Wildpflanze zum funktionellen Lebensmittel: Die süße Vogelbeere als Superfood
27 Okt. 2023
Wechselwirkung von Wasser und Futtermittel mit oralen Antibiotika in der konventionellen Schweinehaltung
27 Okt. 2023
Sind „Bio“-Lebensmittel wirklich besser für die Gesundheit?

Blog Categories

  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Biotechnology
  • Clinical & Pharma
  • Cool Science
  • Environment & Sustainability
  • Future Science
  • Going Green
  • Life in The Lab
  • Life Science Results
  • Pharma
  • PURELAB Product Design
  • Science of the Future
  • The Solution Behind Great Science
  • Water In The Lab
  • Water Purity

CTA Blog

  • Sales Enquiry
  • Get a Quote
  • Technical Support
  • Find an Approved Partner

Sales Enquiry

At ELGA LabWater, we have exciting offers and news about our products and services that we hope you’d like to hear about. We will use your information to predict what you might be interested in. We will treat your data with respect and you can find the details in our Privacy Policy.

ELGA LabWater works with a network of Approved Partners. In order to answer your questions or enquiries, we may pass your contact details to an Approved Partner, who may contact you directly. 

I'd like to receive updates from ELGA LabWater & ELGA Approved Partners based on my details.

Get a Quote

At ELGA LabWater, we have exciting offers and news about our products and services that we hope you’d like to hear about. We will use your information to predict what you might be interested in. We will treat your data with respect and you can find the details in our Privacy Policy.

ELGA LabWater works with a network of Approved Partners. In order to answer your questions or enquiries, we may pass your contact details to an Approved Partner, who may contact you directly. 

I'd like to receive updates from ELGA LabWater & ELGA Approved Partners based on my details.

Technical Support

At ELGA LabWater, we have exciting offers and news about our products and services that we hope you’d like to hear about. We will use your information to predict what you might be interested in. We will treat your data with respect and you can find the details in our Privacy Policy.

ELGA LabWater works with a network of Approved Partners. In order to answer your questions or enquiries, we may pass your contact details to an Approved Partner, who may contact you directly. 

Call us

Can't find what you are looking for?

Support Number
+44 (0)20 3567 7300
United Kingdom Sales
+44 (0)1628 879 704
United States of America Sales
+1 877-315-3542
France Sales
+33 1 40 83 65 00
China Sales
+86 400-616-8882

 

ELGA LabWater UK Headquarters

Lane End Business Park
Lane End, High Wycombe
HP14 3BY
United Kingdom
T: +44 (0) 203 567 7300
F: +44 (0) 203 567 7205

Case Studies

  • Abbott Diagnostics
  • DASA Medical Diagnostics
  • NeoDIN Medical Institute
  • North Staffordshire NHS Trust
  • Olsberg Vocational College

Resources

  • Learn About Ultrapure Water
  • Guides and White Papers
  • Purification Technologies
  • Applications
  • Impurities In Water
  • Latest Blog
  • Water Purity - Different Types of Pure Water
  • What is Clinical Laboratory Reagent Water (CLSI)?
  • What is Total Organic Carbon (TOC)?

© VWS (UK) Ltd. trading as ELGA LabWater. 2025 - All rights reserved.
ELGA is the global laboratory water brand name of Veolia.

  • Privacy policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Global Legal Compliance
  • Patents
  • Trademarks
  • Impressum
  • Language
    • Deutsch
    • English
    • Español
    • Français
    • Italiano
    • Português
    • 日本語
    • 中文
  • Other Veolia Sites
    • Veolia
    • Veolia Foundation
    • Veolia Water Technologies
Elga Veolia
TOP

© 2017 ELGA Veolia