Subsurface iron and arsenic removal for drinking water treatment in Bangladesh

Abstract

Arsenic contamination of shallow tube well drinking water is an urgent health problem in Bangladesh. Current arsenic mitigation solutions, including (household) arsenic removal options, do not always provide a sustainable alternative for safe drinking water. A novel technology, Subsurface Arsenic Removal, relies on the existing technology of Subsurface Iron Removal. The principle of this technology is that aerated water is periodically injected into an anoxic or anaerobic aquifer through a tube well. The injection water partially displaces the original iron and arsenic containing groundwater. The oxygen-rich injection water oxidized adsorbed iron on the soil grains around the tube well. Once the flow direction is reversed, the oxidized iron (precipitated as iron (oxy)hydroxides) provides adsorption sites for soluble iron and arsenic. Subsequently groundwater with reduced iron and arsenic concentrations can be abstracted. This technology has the potential to be an affordable, robust and chemical-free arsenic removal solution for decentralized application. In this PhD study a combination field and laboratory research, in Bangladesh and the Netherlands, has resulted in better understanding of the subsurface processes determining the sustainable operation in diverse geochemical settings.Water MangamentCivil Engineering and Geoscience