In Bangladesh, Cambodia, Vietnam, easternpart of India, Thailand, Argentina and Mongolia, drinking water drawn fromunderground sources has been responsible for widespread arsenic poisoningaffecting millions of people.  Althoughthe genesis of arsenic contamination is yet to be fully understood, naturalgeochemical weathering of subsurface soil is the sole contributor of dissolvedarsenic in groundwater.  To this end, thecollaborative work between Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, USA and BengalEngineering and Science University in West Bengal, India has been directedtoward providing arsenic-safe water in remote villages in affected areasbordering Bangladesh and India.  Duringthe last twelve years, primarily through a grant from Water For People (WFP) inDenver, Colorado in USA and private donations, one-hundred and eighty operationallysimple, low-cost arsenic removal units have been installed at the existingwells to ensure a supply of safe drinking water. This paper illustrates how the design of sustainabletreatment systems takes advantage of the knowledge of chemistry to attain thehighest arsenic removal efficiency with minimum environmental impact andoperational complexity.

Arsenic crisis in the Indian subcontinent: A sustainable solution and the role of chemistry

239th National Meeting (2010)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.