Removal of arsenic from groundwater using low cost ferruginous manganese ore
Occurrence of arsenic in groundwater may be both anthropogenic and geogenic in nature. Anthropogenic activities include mining, release of industrial effluents, wanton disposal of chemical wastes, to name a few. Arsenic from these wastes is released due to natural weathering and eventually contaminates the groundwater aquifer. Under extreme conditions, anthropogenic activities may also lead to geogenic release of arsenic to groundwater in soluble form. A typical case in point is the state of West Bengal in India where groundwater of at least six districts have been found to be contaminated with arsenic [1–3]. More recently, a very large area of Bangladesh has been reported to be severely affected with the arsenic contamination of groundwater [4,5].