Bringing our water back to life | Laura Aluka | TEDxStThomasAquinasHS

Key Concepts

• Bioremediation: The use of living organisms (like plants or microbes) to remove pollutants from a contaminated site.
• Dug Well: A shallow well, typically 10-30 feet deep, that accesses shallow groundwater and is often uncovered, making it susceptible to contamination.
• Shallow Groundwater: Water found relatively close to the Earth's surface, often easily contaminated by surface runoff.
• Moringa Oleifera: A plant whose seeds, flowers, leaves, and roots are used in traditional medicine and for water purification.
• MOCP protein (Moringa Oleifera Coagulant Protein): A protein found in moringa seeds that acts as a "molecular knife" to cut through bacterial cell membranes, aiding in water purification.
• F-Sand (Filter Sand): Sand used in conjunction with moringa seeds to catch bacterial remains and improve filtration efficiency.
• Malampati Method: A water filtration method developed by Dr. Rahak Krishma Malampati, utilizing dried apple and tomato peels.
• Absorption (in chemistry): A process where one substance takes up another substance, in this context, negative chemicals being attracted to and held by the zirconium element in fruit peels.
• Zirconium element: A chemical element present in dried apple and tomato peels that attracts negative chemical contaminants.
• Eutrophication: The process of nutrient enrichment in a body of water, leading to excessive plant growth and oxygen depletion (mentioned as the project title, though the contaminants studied were broader).
• Drilled Well: A deep well, often over 1,000 feet, that accesses purer water sources like aquifers and is typically covered for protection.
• Aquifer: An underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt) from which groundwater can be extracted.

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Personal Motivation and the Global Water Crisis

The speaker, whose parents are from Haiti and Togo, recounts a transformative trip to Togo, specifically to the capital Lomé and the community of Kpalimé (Pele Chico). While enjoying the natural beauty and culture, she was struck by the stark contrast in water accessibility compared to the United States. In the US, clean water is ubiquitous and taken for granted, available from public fountains, bottles, and restaurants. However, in Togoville, the oldest city in Togo (20 miles wide, 20,000 residents), she witnessed a woman drawing murky, tinted, and visibly contaminated water from a 1910 concrete dug well. This water was used for all household needs, including washing, cooking, and drinking. Photos taken in July 2021 and October 2024 confirm the well's continued use and unchanged condition, highlighting a persistent problem.

The Problem with Dug Wells

The dug well in Togoville is a shallow concrete well, only 10-30 feet deep, accessing shallow groundwater. Crucially, it lacks a covering, allowing it to collect rainwater and runoff from the nearby Lake Togo. The speaker emphasizes the severe health risk, noting that 10-30 feet underground is not far from where human remains are buried in Togo, making the water highly susceptible to contamination. This observation sparked her commitment to finding a solution.

Genesis of the Bioremediation Research Project

Inspired by her experience, the speaker shared her observations in her freshman pre-honors biology class, taught by Mrs. Diane Anton. Mrs. Anton invited her to an independent research honors class. Initially intimidated by her peers, the speaker, guided by Mrs. Anton, focused on her family's tradition of natural remedies (referred to as "Aluka hood" and rooted in Togolese and Haitian culture). She collaborated with another student to compare natural and industrial methods of water filtration.

Experimental Design: Contaminants and Filtration Methods

The research project aimed to simulate real-life water contamination using four specific contaminants:

1. Lead Nitrate: A common contaminant from pipe erosion, notably linked to the Flint, Michigan water crisis.
2. Chlorine Bleach: Used in large-scale filtration but dangerous for at-home use.
3. Serratia Marcescens: A bacteria found in dug wells, tiles, and kitchen sinks.
4. E. coli (Escherichia coli): A coliform bacteria found in human and animal waste.

Two natural filtration methods were investigated:

1. Moringa Seed and Sand Filter: Inspired by her father's use of Moringa Oleifera. Research led to a method by Bob Tilton and Todd Prisbissian. The MOCP protein in moringa seeds acts as a "molecular knife," cutting through bacterial cell membranes. An improvement involved adding F-Sand to catch bacterial remains, achieving 100% contaminant removal after 24 hours.
2. Malampati Method: Developed by Dr. Rahak Krishma Malampati, this method uses dried apple and tomato peels. It filters harmful chemical and ion contaminants through absorption, where negative chemicals are attracted to the zirconium element in the peels, which are then removed from the water.

These natural methods were compared against three industrial methods: a Britta filter, the boiling water method, and an activated charcoal filter. The project was titled "The Economic Bioremediation of Eutrophication."

Research Findings and Global Implications

After two school years and 120 data samples, the results were compelling. The Moringa seed and sand method and the Malampati method demonstrated the highest percentage of contaminant removal across all five filtration methods and four contaminants tested. The boiling water method also performed well, ranking third.

These findings brought both joy and sadness to the speaker. Joy at the effectiveness of simple, natural solutions, but sadness at the vast global disparity in clean water access. She cited statistics from worldvision.org: 54% of people in Niger and Chad, 50% in Ethiopia, and 48% in Eritrea live without clean water, representing billions worldwide. The speaker emphasized the injustice that readily available, often discarded materials like moringa plants or fruit peels could save lives, yet remain underutilized. While effective in a lab setting, she acknowledged that developing natural methods for widespread, large-scale use in places like Togo would take "many, many years," and immediate action is needed. Therefore, she concluded, "We need to go back to what works – technology."

Togo Together Project: A Tangible Solution

Recognizing the urgency, the speaker initiated the "Togo Together" project. Collaborating with JVE (Youth for Volunteers for the Environment), a Togo-based organization, she worked with sociologist Miss Lod Wilhelmina to survey Togoville residents. The survey revealed three critical needs:

1. Water Inaccessibility: Residents walk over 5 miles daily to the dug wells or over 20 miles to Lake Togo, an unhealthy daily burden.
2. Untreated/Undetected Water Illnesses: Togoville lacks a hospital, and residents suffer from illnesses without knowing the cause, likely linked to contaminated water (they only use unreliable cloth filtration).
3. Water Scarcity: The existing dug wells produce only 5 gallons of water per day, an insufficient amount for the community.

To address these issues, the "Togo Together" project is raising funds to build a drilled well in Togoville. Unlike shallow dug wells, a drilled well goes over 1,000 feet deep, accessing the purest water source: the aquifer. It will be covered to protect against rainwater and external contaminants and has the potential to eventually create distribution pumps across the city, significantly reducing the daily burden of water collection.

Conclusion

The speaker's journey from personal observation to scientific research and finally to a tangible community project underscores the importance of addressing global water inequality. Despite her science fair project winning third place, it catalyzed a real-world initiative to provide safe water. She concludes with a powerful call to action: "It is time that we started remediating the things that we obtained so easily so that other people have the privilege of doing this safely."