Professional Documents
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Arsenic Contamination
An increasing concern
High toxicity and widespread occurrence
Chronic exposure leading to disorders
Results from a combination of natural
and anthropogenic processes, still an
enigma
Removal techniques - strengths and
gaps
Innovative technologies, good future
scope, sustainability
Arsenic Contamination
Across the world :
Argentina
Chile
Mexico
China
Hungary
West Bengal(Most seriously
affected)
Bangladesh(Most seriously affected)
Vietnam.
Application of fertilizers,
burning of coal, leaching of
metals.
Excessive exploitation of
GW
Remedies :
Salient Points :
1. Utilization of conventional
processes of oxidation, co-
precipitation & adsorption onto
coagulated flocs, sorptive media,
ion exchange and membrane
techniques.
Salient Points :
Synthetic resin
less dependent on pH
Arsenite, being uncharged, not removed.
Hence, pre-oxidation of As(III) to As(V) is required
Ion exchange resins can be easily regenerated
by washing with a NaCl solution.
Membrane Technique
Activated Alumina:
Chemical handling requirements make this process too complex and dangerous
AA loses significant adsorptive capacity with each regeneration cycle.
Highly concentrated waste streams
Ion Exchange:
Highly concentrated waste by-product stream
Reverse Osmosis/Nanofiltration:
Extensive corrosion control required for low-level option
Water rejection (about 20-25 percent of influent) - an issue in water-scarce regions
Electrodialysis Reversal:
Water rejection - an issue in water-scarce regions.
Not be competitive with respect to costs and process efficiency when compared with RO
and NF
Other Potential Approaches and
Future Scope
EX SITU :
IN SITU :
Permeable Reactive Barriers : Lower operation & maintenance costs than ex-
situ technologies.
Nanofiltration : Pore sizes from 1-10 nanometers; Can be used in any type of
water.
In-situ Oxidation of Iron and Arsenic in the Aquifer : Tested under the DANIDA
(Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark) Arsenic Mitigation Pilot project in
Bangladesh; Significantly reduced arsenic and iron.
6. Xiaohong Guan, Juanshan Du, Xiaoguang Meng, Yuankui Sun, Bo Sun, Qinghai
Hu. Application of titanium dioxide in arsenic removal from water: A review.
Journal of Hazardous Materials, Volumes 215216, 15 May 2012, Pages 116