BN College Associate Professor innovates water purification technology using banana peels

Dhubri, Nov 1: Dr. Susmita Sen Gupta, an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Bhola Nath College, Dhubri, has achieved a remarkable breakthrough in water purification technology. Her innovative experiment, employing banana peels, successfully reduced the fluoride content in drinking water.

Dr. Sen Gupta, a PhD holder in Waste Water Treatment, introduced pivotal parameters and mechanistic modifications using banana peels for defluoridation, unveiling a host of potential applications in water treatment.

In pursuit of a cost-effective and organic approach, Dr. Sen Gupta procured three different banana varieties from the market. After allowing the peels to dry under sunlight for nearly seven days, they were finely ground into a powder. This powder was then mixed with water to initiate the defluoridation process in a "batch method" for around thirty minutes to complete and it effectively rids the drinking water of excess fluoride ions.

As pointed out by Dr. Susmita Sen Gupta, excessive fluoride levels in drinking water can lead to serious health concerns, including dental and skeletal fluorosis, arthritis, bone damage, osteoporosis, muscular deterioration, fatigue, and joint-related issues.

Dr. Dhruba Chakraborty, the principal of Bhola Nath College and a PhD holder in Catalysis, extended his congratulations to Dr. Sen Gupta for the positive results yielded by her experiment. He stressed the importance of further research and increased funding to scale up this method for broader implementation, making it accessible to households at an exceptionally low cost.

While various methods exist for similar experiments, this organic-based approach shows significant promise. However, additional experimental and technical research is necessary to enhance cost-effectiveness and reliability for widespread use in the regular market.

This groundbreaking discovery underscores the potential for alternative approaches to defluoridation, offering a ray of hope for improved access to clean and safe drinking water for communities in need.