A review and evaluation of treatment technologies for arsenic-contaminated groundwater in Bangladesh

Abstract

Arsenic poisoning due to contaminated groundwater in Bangladesh was first discovered in 1993. Over 90% of the people in Bangladesh rely on groundwater as their major source of drinking water which has caused roughly 33 million people to be exposed to elevated arsenic concentrations. Current efforts by non-government organizations involve the implementation of a variety of arsenic removal technologies to help provide the people of Bangladesh with a clean and safe source of drinking water. As the arsenic contaminated groundwater does not occur in a predictable pattern, one technology cannot be applied as a best fit. Using existing literature, a matrix has been developed that rates existing technologies based on a variety of parameters that are deemed vital both in the operational efficiency and environmental considerations in the implementation of the technology. It is unlikely that one technology will be a satisfactory solution for every case and all will suffer from various limitations. From these limitations, it might be easy to determine which technology can be applied to a given region based on the water chemistry, social issues and technological restrictions. This general method may be used to select technologies that could be implemented to improve the quality of life of millions of people who live in a variety of other localities that also suffer from arsenic contaminated groundwater, such as Argentina and China.