Investigation of the efficiency of existing iron and arsenic removal plants in Bangladesh

Arsenic in groundwater above 0.05 mg/l was found in 61 out of the total of 64 districts, and 433 out of the total of the 496 thanas in Bangladesh. Groundwater arsenic contamination in Bangladesh is reported to be the biggest arsenic calamity in the world in terms of affected population. Water in around 65% of the areas of Bangladesh contain iron in excess of 2 mg/l, and arsenic has been found to co-exist with iron in many situations. Thus the presently used iron removal plants that operate on the principle of aerating ferrous iron to convert it into ferric iron for precipitation can be a cost-effective solution for treating both iron and arsenic together in the context of Bangladesh. This study investigates the efficiency of 60 arsenic and iron removal plants (AIRPs) presently operating in different geo-hydrological conditions of Bangladesh.