From conventional to advanced materials for arsenic removal from groundwaters

The occurrence of arsenic (As) in drinking water sources across the world is still a great concern for the effected populations. Several millions of people are exposed to As-polluted groundwater sources. The situation is extremely severe in South East Asian countries, such as India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Vietnam, Cambodia, and others. Surveys and model-based mapping of the occurrence of geogenic As suggested that demand for water treatment for As removal is more likely to increase, with the very recent discovery, that in Pakistan more than 100 million people are exposed to unsafe As levels. In cases where centralized treatment is installed, the problem is abated, but there are still cases, mostly in remote areas without community-based drinking water pipe networks, where the local population is still exposed to As in their drinking water. For such cases, there is a need for the development of new technologies, mainly based on the novel adsorbent, which could be applied at the household or community-based level. The objective of this chapter is to demonstrate the current state of the art of As(III) and As(V) removal from groundwaters in order to identify the future steps, toward improving the efficiency and applicability of the applied treatments.

Subjects

Activated carbon-based materials

Adsorption

Arsenic removal

Binary oxides

Biochar

Graphene-based materials

Iron oxides

Nanostructured materials

Options

From conventional to advanced materials for arsenic removal from groundwaters