Arsenic in Argentina: Technologies for arsenic removal from groundwater sources, investment costs and waste management practices.

An overview about the presence of arsenic (As) in groundwaters of Argentina, made by a transdisciplinary group of experts is presented. In this second part, the conventional and emerging technologies for As removal, management of wastes, and the initial investment costs of the proposed technologies, with emphasis on developments of local groups are described. Successful examples of real application of conventional and emerging technologies for As removal in waters for human consumption, for medium, small and rural and periurban communities are reported. In the country, the two most applied technologies for arsenic removal at a real scale are reverse osmosis and coagulation-adsorption-filtration processes using iron or aluminum salts or polyelectrolytes as coagulants. A decision tree to evaluate the possible technologies to be applied, based on the population size, the quality of the water and its intended use, is presented, including preliminary and indicative investment costs. Finally, a section discussing the treatment and final disposal of the liquid, semiliquid and solid wastes, generated by the application of the most used technologies, is included. Conclusions and recommendations, especially for isolated rural and periurban regions, have been added.

Arsenic in Argentina: Occurrence, human health, legislation and determination.

An overview about the presence of arsenic (As) in groundwaters of Argentina, made by a transdisciplinary group of experts is presented. Aspects on As occurrence, effects of As on human health, regulations regarding the maximum allowable amount of As in drinking water as well as bottled water, and analytical techniques for As determination are presented. The most affected region in Argentina is the Chaco-Pampean plain, covering around 10 million km2, where approximately 88% of 86 groundwater samples collected in 2007 exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline value. In the Salí river basin, As concentrations ranged from 11.4 to 1660 µg/L, with 100% of the samples above the WHO guideline value. In the Argentine Altiplano (Puna) and Subandean valleys, 61% of 62 samples collected from surface and groundwaters exceeded the WHO limit. Thus, it can be estimated that, at present, the population at risk in Argentina reaches around four million people. Pathologies derived from the chronic consumption of As, the metabolism of As in the human body and the effects of the different As chemical forms, gathered under the name HACRE (hidroarsenicismo crónico regional endémico in Spanish, for chronic regional endemic hydroarsenicism) are described. Regarding the regulations, the 10 µg/L limit recommended by the WHO and the United States Environmental Protection Agency has been incorporated in the Argentine Food Code, but the application is still on hold. In addition, there is disparity regarding the maximal admitted values in several provinces. Considerations about the As concentrations in bottled water are also presented. A survey indicates that there are several Argentine laboratories with the suitable equipment for As determination at 10 µg/L, although 66% of them are concentrated in Buenos Aires City, and in the Santa Fe, Córdoba and Buenos Aires provinces. Conclusions and recommendations of this first part are provided.

Simultaneous removal of arsenic and fluoride from groundwater by coagulation-adsorption with polyaluminum chloride.

The ArCIS-UNR® arsenic and fluoride removal system which consists of a coagulation-adsorption process with initial pH adjustment and two filtration stages (up-flow gravel roughing filtration and rapid filtration), has been already described in previous studies. This process has been successfully implemented in full-scale plants in Argentina, with fluoride and total arsenic concentrations in raw water up to 2 mg/L and 200 µg/L, respectively. The aim of the present study is to optimize fluoride removal when it is >2.0 mg/L. The modifications proposed were to decrease the pH level to 6.4-6.6 at the roughing filter inlet and increase the pH level to 7.2-7.6 at the rapid filter inlet to decrease residual aluminum concentration. Laboratory and pilot scale studies were performed using natural water with fluoride concentrations ranging from 2.4 to 3.2 mg/L and arsenic concentrations from 60 to 90 µg/L. An optimal combination of operational parameters and the coagulant dose (polyaluminum chloride, PACl) was found, to achieve final concentrations of fluoride, arsenic and aluminum in treated water lower than those set by the regulations in force. Filtration run time was 10 to 12 hours; research studies are necessary to extend this period.