| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4436760 | Applied Geochemistry | 2011 | 12 Pages |
The importance of accessing safe aquifers in areas with high As is being increasingly recognized. The present study aims to investigate the sorption and mobility of As at the sediment-groundwater interface to identify a likely safe aquifer in the Holocene deposit in southwestern Bangladesh. The upper, shallow aquifer at around 18 m depth, which is composed mainly of very fine, grey, reduced sand and contains 24.3 μg/g As, was found to produce highly enriched groundwater (190 μg/L As). In contrast, deeper sediments are composed of partly oxidized, brownish, medium sand with natural adsorbents like Fe- and Al-oxides; they contain 0.76 μg/g As and impart low As concentrations to the water (4 μg/L). These observations were supported by spectroscopic studies with SEM, TEM, XRD and XRF, and by adsorption, leaching, column tests and sequential extraction. A relatively high in-situ dissolution rate (Rr) of 1.42 × 10−16 mol/m2/s was derived for the shallower aquifer from the inverse mass-balance model. The high Rr may enhance As release processes in the upper sediment. The field-based reaction rate (Kr) was extrapolated to be roughly 1.23 × 10−13 s−1 and 6.24 × 10−14 s−1 for the shallower and deeper aquifer, respectively, from the laboratory-obtained adsorption/desorption data. This implies that As is more reactive in the shallower aquifer. The partition coefficient for the distribution of As at the sediment–water interface (Kd-As) was found to range from 5 to 235 L/kg based on in-situ, batch adsorption, and flow-through column techniques. Additionally, a parametric equation for Kd-As (R2 = 0.67) was obtained from the groundwater pH and the logarithm of the leachable Fe and Al concentrations in sediment. A one-dimensional finite-difference numerical model incorporating Kd and Kr showed that the shallow, leached As can be immobilized and prevented from reaching the deeper aquifer (∼150 m) after 100 year by a natural filter of oxidizing sand and adsorbent minerals like Fe and Al oxides; in this scenario, 99% of the As in groundwater is reduced. The deeper aquifer appears to be an adequate source of sustainable, safe water.
Research highlights► Sorption and mobility of As in the sediment-water interface of the Holocene deposit. ► Leaching by more reactive As leads to groundwater pollution in the shallower aquifer. ► Slower adsorption/desorption reaction rate enables deeper aquifer to be safe. ► 99% of groundwater As can be reduced by oxidizing sand, Fe and Al oxide minerals. ► For 100 years deeper aquifer could be an adequate source of sustainable, safe water.
