Groundwater in many regions in Argentina, including Buenos Aires, contain high levels of arsenic of natural origin. A feasibility study has been carried out to design cost-effective treatment systems for As removal to produce drinking water with low As levels.
The conventional methods to remove As from groundwater in The Netherlands involve coprecipitation of As with in situ generated Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides followed by the separation of As-laden Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides by either a Rapid Sand Filter (RSF) or by Ultrafiltration (UF). These technologies offer high As removal efficiency with low energy and chemical demand. Moreover, the treatment residuals (Fe(III)-sludge) may be recycled or reused. Thus, these As removal methods may present promising alternatives to adsorption with pH adjustment or RO treatment which are common choices for As removal at centralized (ground-)water treatment plants in Argentina.
Principle of Advanced Oxidation-Coprecipitation-Filtration (AOCF) technique for arsenic removal
