Electrochemical arsenite oxidation for drinking water treatment: Mechanisms, by-product formation and energy consumption

The mechanisms and by-product formation of electrochemical oxidation (EO) for As(III) oxidation in drinking water treatment using groundwater was investigated. Experiments were carried out using a flowthrough system, with an RuO ₂/IrO ₂ MMO Ti anode electrode, fed with synthetic and natural groundwater containing As(III)...

Embedding Fe(0) electrocoagulation in a biologically active As(III) oxidising filter bed

Long-term consumption of groundwater containing elevated levels of arsenic (As) can have severe health consequences, including cancer. To effectively remove As, conventional treatment technologies require expensive chemical oxidants to oxidise neutral arsenite (As(III)) in groundwater to negatively charged arsenate (As(V)), which is more...

Green photocatalytic mixed matrix membranes for simultaneous arsenic photo-oxidation and water recovery via membrane distillation

This work proposes an innovative integration of Membrane Distillation (MD) and photo-oxidation for a continuous recovery of water from arsenic (As) contaminated solutions coupled with the oxidation of arsenite (As(III)) into arsenate (As(V)). Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) containing titanium dioxide...

A critical review of arsenic occurrence, fate and transport in natural and modified groundwater systems in The Netherlands

Arsenic is a common trace element in groundwater and its fate and transport are controlled by combination of (i) natural processes, including redox conditions, salinity and pH, (ii) sedimentary and geochemical environment, and (iii) anthropogenic influences such as groundwater extraction, managed aquifer recharge (MAR), Aquifer Thermal Energy...

Biogeochemical networks in the abandoned historical gold mines affecting mobilization and transport of arsenic in Kolar

Enormous water-logging in ancient abandoned mining shafts of Kolar Gold Fields (KGFs), has largely induced the leaching of sulfide-rich gold minerals contaminating the aquifer system with hazardous elements. Transport of these contaminant has posed threat to the health of the urban population of Kolar township. A detailed survey of borewells,...

Molecular-scale characterization of groundwater treatment sludge from around the world: Implications for potential arsenic recovery

Iron (Fe)-based treatment methods are widely applied to remove carcinogenic arsenic (As) from drinking water, but generate toxic As-laden Fe (oxyhydr)oxide waste that has traditionally been ignored for resource recovery by the water sector. However, the European Commission recently classified As as a Critical Raw Material (CRM), thus...

Sequential Fe²⁺ oxidation to mitigate the inhibiting effect of phosphate and silicate on arsenic removal

Sequential iron (as Fe²⁺) oxidation has been found to yield improved arsenic (as As(III)) uptake than the single-step oxidation. The objective of this study was to gain a better understanding of interactions with phosphate (PO₄³⁻) and silicate (SiO₄²⁻) during sequential Fe²⁺...

Groundwater-native Fe(II) oxidation prior to aeration with H₂O₂ to enhance As(III) removal

Groundwater contaminated with arsenic (As) must be treated prior to drinking, as human exposure to As at toxic levels can cause various diseases including cancer. Conventional aeration-filtration applied to anaerobic arsenite (As(III)) contaminated groundwater can remove As(III) by co-oxidizing native iron (Fe(II)) and As(III) with oxygen (O...

Anoxic storage to promote arsenic removal with groundwater-native iron

Storage containers are usually used to provide a constant water head in decentralized, community groundwater treatment systems for the removal of iron (Fe) and arsenic (As). However, the commonly practiced aeration prior to storage assists in rapid and complete Fe²⁺ oxidation, resulting in poor As removal, despite sufficient native...

Integrating biological As(III) oxidation with Fe(0) electrocoagulation for arsenic removal from groundwater

Arsenic (As) is a toxic element present in many (ground)water sources in the world. Most conventional As removal techniques require pre-oxidation of the neutral arsenite (As(III)) species to the negatively charged arsenate (As(V)) oxyanion to optimize As removal and minimize chemical use. In this work, a novel, continuous-flow As removal...

Characterisation of the impact of dissolved organic matter on iron, manganese, and arsenic mobilisation during bank filtration

Bank filtration (BF) has been used for many years as an economical technique for providing high-quality drinking water. However, under anaerobic conditions, the aquifer release of undesirable metal(loid)s, such as iron manganese, and arsenic, reduces the bank filtrate quality and thus restricts the application of this technique. This study...

Potential for managed aquifer recharge in southwestern Bangladesh based on social necessity and technical suitability

In southwestern Bangladesh, clean drinking water is scarce, since rainwater is only available during the monsoon, pond water is often bacteriologically polluted, and groundwater may exhibit high salinity and arsenic levels. Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) might potentially provide safe drinking water by storing abundant freshwater from the wet...

As(V) rejection by NF membranes using high temperature sources for drinking water production

In Nicaragua, a Central American country, geothermally influenced waters are frequently found to be contaminated with arsenic (as As(V)). This study investigated the effect of high-temperatures (25–50 °C), as found in geothermally influenced source waters, on the rejection of monovalent H2AsO4 - and divalent HAsO4 2- species (at pH 6,7 and 8)...

Arsenic contamination of rural community wells in Nicaragua: A review of two decades of experience

Several surveys have been conducted in Nicaragua between 1996 and 2015 confirming the presence of high levels of arsenic (>10 μg/L). In this paper, these peer-reviewed (n = 2) and non-peer reviewed sources (n = 14) have been combined to provide an extensive overview of the arsenic contamination of drinking water sources in Nicaragua. So...

Arsenic removal from geothermal influenced groundwater with low pressure NF pilot plant for drinking water production in Nicaraguan rural communities

This research evaluated the effect of different fluxes (16, 23 & 30 L/m ² h) and temperatures (31,35 & 43 °C) on the rejection of As(V) during nanofiltration (NF) of natural geothermal influenced groundwater in Nicaragua. A NF pilot plant powered by solar panels was built and operated in rural community Telica, exposed to...

Exploring biodiversity and arsenic metabolism of microbiota inhabiting arsenic-rich groundwaters in Northern Italy

Arsenic contamination of groundwater aquifers is an issue of global concern. Among the affected sites, in several Italian groundwater aquifers arsenic levels above the WHO limits for drinking water are present, with consequent issues of public concern. In this study, for the first time, the role of microbial communities in metalloid cycling...

Transcriptomic analysis of two thioalkalivibriospecies under arsenite stress revealed a potential candidate gene for an alternative arsenite oxidation pathway

The genus Thioalkalivibrio includes haloalkaliphilic chemolithoautotrophic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria isolated from various soda lakes worldwide. Some of these lakes possess in addition to their extreme haloalkaline environment also other harsh conditions, to which Thioalkalivibrio needs to adapt. An example is arsenic in soda lakes in eastern...

Field Experiments and Reactive Transport Modeling of Subsurface Arsenic Removal in Bangladesh

The principle of Subsurface Arsenic (As) Removal (SAR) is to extract anoxic groundwater, aerate it and reinject it. Oxygen in the injected water reacts with iron in the resident groundwater to form hydrous ferric oxide (HFO). Dissolved As sorbs onto the HFO, which allows for the extraction of groundwater with lower As concentrations.