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Design Strategies and Preliminary Prototype for a Low-Cost Arsenic Removal System for Rural Bangladesh

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/972644· OSTI ID:972644
Researchers have invented a material called ARUBA -- Arsenic Removal Using Bottom Ash -- that effectively and affordably removes arsenic from Bangladesh groundwater. Through analysis of studies across a range of disciplines, observations, and informal interviews conducted over three trips to Bangladesh, we have applied mechanical engineering design methodology to develop eight key design strategies, which were used in the development of a low-cost, community-scale water treatment system that uses ARUBA to removearsenic from drinking water. We have constructed, tested, and analysed a scale version of the system. Experiments have shown that the system is capable of reducing high levels of arsenic (nearly 600 ppb) to below the Bangladesh standard of 50 ppb, while remaining affordable to people living on less than US$2/day. The system could be sustainably implemented as a public-private partnership in rural Bangladesh.
Research Organization:
Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (US)
Sponsoring Organization:
Environmental Energy Technologies Division
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
972644
Report Number(s):
LBNL-2696E
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English