Development of Arsenic Removal Technology from Drinking Water in Developing Countries

Abstract

At the global scale, drinking arsenic-contaminated groundwater is the most common way for people exposed to arsenic. A number of developing countries have serious arsenic contamination. And thus, developing technologies that could remove arsenic from drinking water has become a major focus of researchers. For developing countries, the technologies applied for arsenic removal are most given consideration of not only effectiveness but also the cost-effectiveness. In this chap- ter, we reviewed the methods that could be used for arsenic removal from drinking water. It includes coagulation–flocculation, adsorption, membrane technology, oxi- dation, ion exchange, phytoremediation, and electrokinetics. Of them, the coagula- tion–flocculation and adsorption were relatively cost-effective and used more often in developing countries. Additionally, we introduced the methods of arsenic removal in drinking water in China and the experience from our group, including a series of research and development of adsorbent material development that could be effective in removing arsenic from drinking water. We hoped that the chapter could provide basic information for researchers in this field and be helpful for them to develop much more effective and cost-effective arsenic removal technologies.