Arsenic removal from groundwater using iron waste materials

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Potentially toxic elements and other substances are present in many regions of Slovakia as a consequence of previous industrial activities. This study involved the laboratory testing of the effectiveness of cheap and widely available materials to decrease the arsenic concentration in groundwater. The materials are to be installed in a pilot permeable reactive barrier in the Nováky area, Slovakia. Two types of cheap iron waste material (iron powder and iron shavings) were evaluated as reactive media, which form the active part of the experimental column. The arsenic concentrations at the column inlet and outlet, the permeability of the reactive material, pH, and iron concentration in treated water were measured over the course of 60 d. Throughout this time, arsenic levels in the outlet of both columns were far below the permitted limit of 100 ppb for arsenic content in groundwater. Iron shavings were chosen as final reactive material for environmental beneficial usage due to their high permeability, easy handling and high efficiency.