Author : M .Shruthi, S. Mahesh and M. Sahana

Arsenic contamination is an enormous worldwide problem. Among several options available for removal of arsenic from groundwater, electro coagulation is a promising electrochemical treatment technique that does not require the addition of chemicals or regeneration. The performance of Electrochemical Coagulation (ECC) method with iron sacrificial anodes in the treatment of Arsenic rich groundwater was investigated. Influence of operating parameter i.e. voltage variation is studied in attempt to achieve optimum removal efficiency. The results obtained from the Arsenic spiked groundwater samples revealed that the most effective removal was achieved at 6V for 15 min of electrolysis duration in which As concentration was well within the prescribed drinking water standards 0.01 mg/L. pH varied within the drinking water standards 6.5 to 8.5.This method was found efficient, relatively fast and clean compared to other conventional methods, such as chemical coagulation.

Keywords: Arsenic, Groundwater, Electrocoagulation, Iron electrodes

Article published in the Proceedings of National Conference on ‘Women in Science & Engineering’ (NCWSE 2013), SDMCET Dharwad