Arsenic detoxification system for treatment of arsenic-contaminated water

摘要

At present, approximately 80 million people, especially in Asia, are being poisoned by arsenic (As) in drinking water; this is likely to cause high cancer rates in the future (ADB Review, 2004). In order to take measures against As poisoning, methods such as coagulation sedimentation, adsorption by adsorbents, and filtration have been used to remove inorganic As from surface or groundwater with high level of As. However, a number of cases of As poisoning in many areas have been reported. One of the reasons why As poisoning cannot be completely eliminated is the lack of an appropriate method for treating inorganic arsenicals in a safe and economical manner. Even after these conventional treatments, arsenicals existing in the sludge obtained from coagulation sediments, used adsorbents, or used filters exist as inorganic As with acute, chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity. Secondary contamination and secondary exposure caused by the released inorganic As from sludge, used adsorbents or used filters have become serious problems because of the lack of a suitable treatment method for such arsenicals.