Arsenic removal performance of Mg/Fe-Cl
layered double hydroxide (LDH) from
groundwater in Bangladesh
S.M. Ashekuzzaman, PhD Candidate
School of Engineering and Built Environment, Glasgow Caledonian
University, Glasgow, U.K.
15 January, 2014
Outline
-
Field study location, study period and potential contact
Current project and rationale of filed study
Aim and objectives
List of activities
Major findings
Experience and benefits
Conclusion and future perspective
Expenses and accounting
Acknowledgement
Host Institution: Bangladesh University
of Engineering and Technology (BUET)
Figures showing some images of BUET.
Location, Study period
and Contact
Potential contact and
host institution
Study Period
04 November – 29 December, 2013
Dr. A.B.M. Badruzzaman
Professor of Environmental Engineering Division
Department of Civil Engineering
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET)
Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh
Current project and
rationale of field study
Project: Development of effective layered double hydroxides (LDHs)
based inorganic adsorbent for efficient phosphate and arsenic removal
from water.
- Removal of arsenic (As) from water using our developed Mg/Fe-Cl LDH is one of
the major focuses of the present research study.
- Arsenic is a Class "A" human carcinogen as classified by the USEPA, and its
presence in drinking water and groundwater is of great concern to the wellbeing
and health security of humans, with the situation being at its worst in Asia.
- Bangladesh is the most affected among the As problem facing countries; up to 77
million people here have been exposed to toxic levels of As from drinking water.
- So, study with real arsenic contaminated water had been considered in order to
evaluate the performance of Mg/Fe-Cl LDH in removing arsenic.
Aim and objectives
Aim: The field study was aimed to investigate the arsenic removal
performance from real contaminated groundwater by using Mg/Fe-Cl LDH
and thereby, to propose a low-cost, easily accessible small-scale treatment
process to get As free drinking water.
Objectives:
- To determine the groundwater chemistry
- To perform bench-scale column filtration experiment in order to identify
arsenic sorption capacity
- To analyse and evaluate the feasibility of using LDH based adsorbents in
removing arsenic for real case scenario in Bangladesh.
List of activities
1. Collection of arsenic contaminated groundwater
2. Chemical analysis of collected samples
3. Conducting empty bed column experiment
4. Assessing desorption and reusability of Mg/Fe-Cl LDH
List of activities (Cont..)
Major findings
1. Groundwater quality
2. Arsenic removal efficiency and treatment capacity of Mg/Fe-Cl LDH
3. Reusability of Mg/Fe-Cl LDH
- [As] varies between 84‒463 µg/L depending on the depth of groundwater
- WHO and Bangladesh guideline for maximum contaminant level of total As in
potable water is 10 and 50 µg/L, respectively.
- Sorption capacity of Mg/Fe-Cl LDH is about 492 µg-As/g LDH with 86% removal
efficiency to achieve target [As] of 50 µg/L from initial [As] of 400 µg/L.
- Treatment capacity of Mg/Fe-Cl LDH is about 1400 L per Kg.
- Variation in sorption capacity remained within 5% for repeated use of LDH up to
3rd cycle.
- Effect of groundwater chemistry on removal performance is significant
Experience and benefits
• Understanding of practical consideration to work with real arsenic
contaminated groundwater
• Real treatment and sorption capacity of Mg/Fe-Cl LDH is interpreted
• Feasible treatment process to remove arsenic can be proposed
Conclusion and Recommendation
• Mg/Fe-Cl LDH can be a potential treatment media for arsenic removal.
• Groundwater chemistry can effect the removal performance significantly.
• Clogging of LDH filled filter media could be a major drawback for simple
arsenic removal process considering groundwater characteristics.
• Future study with Mg/Fe-Cl LDH based multiple treatment process is
suggested to identify sustainable and feasible solution for arsenic removal.
Expenses and accounting
Item
Actual expenses (GBP)
Overseas travel
£641.53
Local transport
£406.52
Local lodging and living cost (e.g.
house rent, food, internet and
mobile bills)
£1187.78
Use of lab facilities (e.g. chemical
consumables, sample collection)
TOTAL
£368.37
£ 2604
Acknowledgement
I am truly grateful to The Royal Society of Edinburgh for
awarding me the prestigious J M Lessells Travel Scholarship,
without this the field study could be impossible in due course.
My special thanks to Prof. Dr. A.B.M. Badruzzaman for his
cordial support and guidance during the course of this shortterm research study. I am thankful to several research staffs
and laboratory technicians of BUET for helping me during
laboratory activities.
Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my
study director Prof. Dr. JiaQian Jiang for his continuous and
timely guidance, supervision and encouragement in the
progression of my research work.
Thank you for your kind attention.