Development of Low-Cost Arsenic Removal Process by Using Ion-Exchange Resins

Arsenic is most precarious element in the chemical world and excessive presence in drinking water can cause disaster. In West Bengal 104 blocks of 11 districts are poorly affected, which is one of the worst instances in Indian arsenic scenario. Several conventional technologies are used for arsenic removal from contaminated water. In this study a Cost-Effective Laboratory-Based model was developed. This study presents an arsenic removal process by ion-exchange resins from contaminated aqueous solution. An acrylic column of 75 cm long and 1.0 cm in diameter having a stopper valve was used as gravity filter column. 15 g of ion-exchanges resins were used as a single (anionic) and combined (anionic–cationic) filter bed for the experiments. 100% removal efficiency was found in aqueous solution containing 75, 112 and 192 ppb arsenic by Anionic-Cationic filter bed and pH of the treated water was found very low (pH 3.19). Removal efficiency of anionic resin was found 97, 93 and 70% without affecting the pH of treated water, where arsenic concentration in aqueous solution was 78, 131, and 212 ppb, respectively.