Berkeley Arsenic Alleviation Group: Arsenic Remediation in South/Southeast Asia

Over 40 million people in Bangladesh drink groundwater contaminated with arsenic. Although the WHO's recommended maximum limit for arsenic in drinking water is 10 ppb, the arsenic levels in Bangladesh, in some cases, exceed 1000 ppb. Forty thousand people in Bangladesh are already showing signs of arsenic poisoning, in what is rightly called the largest case of mass poisoning in history. Arsenic poisoning will cause about 10% of future adult deaths in Bangladesh (population ~140 million) unless something is done.

Although there are numerous proposed solutions to this devastating problem, many of them are expensive and/or ineffective at decreasing arsenic in drinking water to acceptable levels. Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Labs have developed two methods to affordably and effectively remove arsenic from drinking water. The first method is called Arsenic Removal Using Bottom Ash (ARUBA). Bottom ash, a widely available waste material from coal-fired power plants, is coated with iron rust, which binds to arsenic. The arsenic can then be removed from the water through settling and/or filtration. The second method is called ElectroChemical Arsenic Remediation (ECAR). This method uses a small amount of electricity to create rust in contaminated water. The rust binds to arsenic, which can then be removed from the water through settling and/or filtration.

The goal of the Berkeley Arsenic Alleviation Group (BAAG) is to design a water treatment system that utilizes LBNL technology to effectively remove arsenic from drinking water. Two teams are working collaboratively to incorporate either ARUBA or ECAR into the water treatment system. The end result will be two possible solutions to the arsenic crisis, allowing greater adaptability to diverse conditions.

Alongside the scientific and engineering development, the team is developing a business model for system implementation. This solution will take into account economic costs/benefits, social acceptability, affordability, and sustainability. In addition, we are now exploring the socieoceonomic and public health implications of arsenic remediation using ARUBA and/or ECAR.

Project mission:

To design an effective community-based water treatment system to provide affordable arsenic-free water to rural villagers.

To develop a financially sustainable business strategy for implementation of treatment systems.

To devise a plan for social marketing of the proposed system and educational outreach relating to the importance clean water.

Potential impact:

Reduce the prevalence of arsenic poisoning in the region, alleviating the sicknesses associated with arsenic poisoning, including gangrene, cancer and lesions in the skin, while also reducing the number of missed work days caused by these illnesses.

Required resources:

1. Total project needs: $135,000
2. In-kind contribution needs: Mileage/Plane tickets

News:

• http://arsenic.lbl.gov/press.html

Our sponsors:

National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA)
UC Berkeley Blum Center for Developing Economies
Haas School of Business Sustainable Products & Solutions (SPS) Program
UC Berkeley Bears Breaking Boundaries Contest
EPA P3: People, Prosperity, and the Planet Program
Schweizerische Studienstiftung

Project page URL:

• http://arsenic.lbl.gov/