Arsenic is found to exist within the shallow zones of groundwater in many countries and a large number of drinking water treatment units have been installed to combat this arsenic poisoning. Microbial activity can greatly affect the mobilization of arsenic under anaerobic conditions when coupled with the oxidation of organic matter. In this study, the bioleaching of arsenic in response to organic matter inclusion in a drinking water treatment process has been elucidated. The decomposition of organic matter due to the microbial action has led to an anaerobic condition within the accumulated sludge in the treatment unit and hence caused the bioleaching of arsenic, above 130 μg/L, with the effluent water. Nevertheless, the biofilm structure, related to the oxygen penetration, had significant influence on the bioleaching of arsenic even in the circumferential aerobic condition of the biofilm. For a biofilm thickness around 400 μm, an anaerobic bottom part was noticed and hence a clear step-up concentration of arsenic was observed in the associated bulk liquid. This study suggests that organic matter would have a sufficiently important influence on the microbiological transformation of arsenic to warrant its consideration in designing safe remediation strategies in the context of arsenic removal processes for drinking water.
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Research Article|
September 01 2009
Bioleaching of arsenic in a drinking water treatment process
Khondoker Mahbub Hassan
;
1
Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science (IR3S), University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8654, Japan
Tel.: +81 3 5841 8576 Fax: +81 3 5841 1545 E-mail: hassan@ir3s.u-tokyo.ac.jp; khmhassan@yahoo.com
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Kensuke Fukushi
;
Kensuke Fukushi
1
Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science (IR3S), University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8654, Japan
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Fumiyuki Nakajima
;
Fumiyuki Nakajima
2
Environmental Science Center, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
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Kazuo Yamamoto
Kazuo Yamamoto
2
Environmental Science Center, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
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Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology-Aqua (2009) 58 (6): 395-404.
Article history
Received:
January 17 2009
Accepted:
July 30 2009
Citation
Khondoker Mahbub Hassan, Kensuke Fukushi, Fumiyuki Nakajima, Kazuo Yamamoto; Bioleaching of arsenic in a drinking water treatment process. Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology-Aqua 1 September 2009; 58 (6): 395–404. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2009.004
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Khondoker Mahbub Hassan, Kensuke Fukushi, Fumiyuki Nakajima, Kazuo Yamamoto; Bioleaching of arsenic in a drinking water treatment process. Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology-Aqua 1 September 2009; 58 (6): 395–404. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2009.004
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