This project pioneers a new generation of low‑cost, plant‑based water treatment systems designed for rural communities in South Africa and Norway. Freshwater scarcity, pharmaceutical pollution, and insufficient sanitation threaten both health and the environment. Our solution transforms locally available plant residues into powerful tools for water purification, creating safe, sustainable, community‑driven treatment systems.
By extracting essential oils with natural antimicrobial properties and converting biomass residues into efficient biochar adsorbents, the project develops a fully circular cleaning process, converting local plants into natural disinfectants & biochar for direct utilization to produce clean, safe drinking water. These technologies require minimal infrastructure, run on renewable energy, and are tailored for small settlements where centralized treatment is too costly or inaccessible.
Field testing, life‑cycle assessment, and community co‑creation ensure that the systems are affordable, robust, and easy to operate. Beyond clean water, the project strengthens rural economies through biomass valorisation, enhances environmental protection, and builds local capacity for long‑term sustainable water management.
In short, this initiative empowers communities to reclaim wastewater, protect health, and turn natural local resources into reliable sources of potable water, driving innovation, resilience, and improved quality of life.
