Scientists find solution to arsenic contamination in laterite

The simplest and cheapest solution to arsenic contamination of groundwater has been found to be none other the red laterite soil that is abundant in many parts of India, scientists said.
A low-cost, low-maintenance and eco-friendly indigenous water filter using laterite soil has been developed by a team of chemical engineers at IIT-Kharagpur which would dispense potable water at a cost of only 2 paise per litre.
Arsenic contamination of groundwater is a serious health issue in states like West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Punjab, Haryana and Assam. Most of the affected districts are located in the Gangetic or Brahmaputra river basin.

Prof Sirshendu De, who, over a period of 12 years, led the study that resulted in the innovation, told PTI that the novel idea hit them after they realised that places where laterite soil is found do not have have issues of arsenic contamination.
"We then started studying the nature of laterite soil and found that it is a very good natural absorbent of arsenic. And, after chemical treatment, the absorption capacity increases," he said.
The innovation, for which the IIT has filed two patents, has been licensed to a Jharkhand-based entrepreneur who is setting up a filter manufacturing plant at Kharagpur.

The commercial launch of the filter, which would include successive layers of materials, including bacteriostatic activated carbon, charcoal, fine granular sand, activated laterite and raw laterite, is expected in the next couple of months.