Application of Pomegranate Peel Waste in Descaling of Stainless-Steel Water Boilers

Pomegranate peel, has traditionally been considered agricultural waste. However, recent research studies have revealed its potential as a rich source of bioactive compounds with diverse biosorbent and pharmacological effects used in diverse industries. Pomegranate peel is a rich reservoir of antioxidants, polyphenols, dietary fibre, and vitamins, which contribute to its remarkable bioactivity as biosorbent. Furthermore, pomegranate peel has the potential to be used to develop bioactive reagents used in the food industry, and biosorbent reagents to be utilized and water purification industry. Traditionally, limescale build-up is one of the main causes of stainless-steel kettle and boiler failure. This is due to the elements in stainless steel constantly being exposed to water. Chemical descalers are available to buy, some designed specifically for metal kettles and others for plastic models and the user should check if they are suitable for the appliance. Promoting the use of environmentally friendly descalers is our target for this research, where we can use fruit peels in the form pomegranate peel (PGP) to descale stainless steel kettles and boilers, subsequently decreasing the pollution level in our environment. This publication describes how the variety of phenolic substances in pomegranate peel (PGP), which includes tannins, flavonoids, phenolic acids, dietary fibre and other bioactive substances such as alkaloids, minerals, can be employed as environmentally-friendly active reagents for descaling the limescale precipitated in stainless-steel equipment and appliances. Descaling from natural products is a process where components act as scavenging or antioxidant species. The waste of the pomegranate peels also can be better reused for diverse industrial applications.