IIT Guwahati Tech Purifies Arsenic-Fluoride Water

People in districts facing arsenic and fluoride-contaminated groundwater can now access safer drinking water thanks to a low-cost technology developed by IIT-Guwahati. Researchers have engineered a rotating-anode electrocoagulation (RA-EC) reactor capable of removing up to 98.2% of arsenate and 91.8% of fluoride from contaminated groundwater in mere minutes. This advancement holds considerable promise for Assam, where the Annual Groundwater Quality Report 2024 indicated groundwater arsenic contamination across seven districts.

The technology demonstrated an operating cost of approximately Rs 18 to Rs 58 per 1,000 liters of treated water, varying with contaminant concentration. Published in the Chemical Engineering Journal, the findings address the challenge of treating both arsenic and fluoride simultaneously, as they behave differently and compete for removal sites in conventional methods. The reactor was successfully tested with real groundwater samples from Assam.

This innovative RA-EC reactor is versatile, suitable for community drinking-water purification, decentralized rural treatment systems, remediation of contaminated groundwater, and industrial wastewater treatment. It can also be integrated with other purification methods like adsorption and membrane filtration, offering a comprehensive approach to water safety.