Tanapong Jiarathanakul, Imtiaz Karim, Michelle Wagner
Abstract
The AguaClara Arsenic team for the Fall 2013 semester is the first to begin testing different methods of removing arsenic from drinking water. The initial goal was to develop a reliable method for testing water treatment alternatives and be able to detect small concentrations of arsenic. The work this semester follows the literature review performed in Spring 2013 which evaluated alternative arsenic testing methods and water treatment options for arsenic removal. A key issue is the need to measure low levels of arsenic (below ten parts per billion). Over the summer a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometer (GFAAS) was repaired for use in arsenic analysis. The lamp and power source of GFAAS have been replaced to improve the arsenic detection limit and the team is learning to operate the instrument. We will be using different coagulants to see which provides the best adsorption of arsenic to remove it from water, and dierent sample processing methods to simulate larger scale treatment processes. The team has a designated area for handling the solutions and samples as arsenic is toxic and we would like to minimize the contact it has with any person or object in the lab. The issue of arsenic waste is also a concern and this is why we are performing experiments using small sample volumes in order to reduce the amount of toxic waste produced.
