Making natural pesticide from discarded aloe peels | Headline Science

Aloe vera is farmed in huge quantities around the world as an ingredient for cosmetic and medicinal products. But after the gel is harvested from inside the leaf, the leftover peels are often thrown away, potentially adding up to millions of tons of waste every year. Researchers wondered if the peels could instead be recycled to make a natural insecticide, so they extracted, purified and analyzed chemicals from the peels. They’ve identified at least six chemicals in the rinds that have insecticidal properties, and they are looking for more. The research is being presented at ACS Fall 2023, a meeting of the American Chemical Society.

“Treasures from trash: Aloe vera peels as a sustainable resource for natural pesticides”
Aug. 15, 2023
Presenter/Principal Investigator: Debasish Bandyopadhyay, Ph.D.

Kaitlyn Dupont contributed research for this video.

CREDITS
Writer/Producer: Kerri Jansen
Editor/Producer: Darren Weaver
Narrator: Emily Schneider
Executive Producer: Matthew Radcliff

Research Videos:
Debasish Bandyopadhyay, Ph.D.
Fernando Castillo
Jonathan Garcia
Nazmul Huda

Additional Videos: Getty Images, Storyblocks, Darren Weaver/ACS Productions
Music: “Feel the Fire” by Ballpoint from Epidemic Sound

ACS Fall 2023 Media Briefings:

Produced by the American Chemical Society (ACS), one of the world’s largest scientific societies. ACS is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals, and scientific conferences.