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TThe main objective of the project was the development of an innovative low-cost electrocoagulation-based process capable of supplying contaminated-free drinking water to remote poor rural areas in India. The project was carried out by the combined effort of an international consortium of 3 Indian institutions (IITG - Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, ISM -Indian School of Mines and JU- Jadavpur University), one German institution (TUM-Technical University of Munich) and one Portuguese institution (FEUP-Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto).
In India, fluoride, iron and arsenic are the major inorganic contaminants of natural origin found in groundwater. The presence of iron is one of the most common water problems faced worldwide. Bad taste, discoloration, staining and high turbidity are some of the problems associated with its presence in water. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Commission recommend that the iron in water supplies should be less than 0.2 mg/L. Arsenic is a carcinogen and its consumption can negatively affect the gastrointestinal tract, cardiac, vascular and central nervous systems. Exposure to arsenic through drinking water is a great threat to human health. Considering the high toxicity of arsenic, the WHO set a maximum acceptable level of arsenic in drinking water at 10 μg/L. Fluoride is responsible for affecting the calcium present in mineralized tissues, such as bone, causing diseases like dental and skeletal fluorosis and osteoporosis. Two of the most populated countries in the world, China and India, have a severe health problem associated with fluorosis. In 2012, the WHO estimated that 2.7 million people in China suffer crippling due to fluorosis.
The work performed in our institution (FEUP) was focused mainly on the study of the electrocoagulation process (EC). The EC process is based on the electrochemical production of destabilization agents that allow the removal of pollutant compounds  |
Summary
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TThe main objective of the project was the development of an innovative low-cost electrocoagulation-based process capable of supplying contaminated-free drinking water to remote poor rural areas in India. The project was carried out by the combined effort of an international consortium of 3 Indian institutions (IITG - Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, ISM -Indian School of Mines and JU- Jadavpur University), one German institution (TUM-Technical University of Munich) and one Portuguese institution (FEUP-Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto).
In India, fluoride, iron and arsenic are the major inorganic contaminants of natural origin found in groundwater. The presence of iron is one of the most common water problems faced worldwide. Bad taste, discoloration, staining and high turbidity are some of the problems associated with its presence in water. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Commission recommend that the iron in water supplies should be less than 0.2 mg/L. Arsenic is a carcinogen and its consumption can negatively affect the gastrointestinal tract, cardiac, vascular and central nervous systems. Exposure to arsenic through drinking water is a great threat to human health. Considering the high toxicity of arsenic, the WHO set a maximum acceptable level of arsenic in drinking water at 10 μg/L. Fluoride is responsible for affecting the calcium present in mineralized tissues, such as bone, causing diseases like dental and skeletal fluorosis and osteoporosis. Two of the most populated countries in the world, China and India, have a severe health problem associated with fluorosis. In 2012, the WHO estimated that 2.7 million people in China suffer crippling due to fluorosis.
The work performed in our institution (FEUP) was focused mainly on the study of the electrocoagulation process (EC). The EC process is based on the electrochemical production of destabilization agents that allow the removal of pollutant compounds by charge neutralization and consequent coagulation.
The main tasks performed were the construction of a batch and a continuous electrocoagulation unit, and their application on the removal of the contaminants (iron, fluoride and arsenic). Additionally, other tasks such as the development of a mathematical model for the batch electrocoagulation process and the measurement of the particle size distribution were also performed during the project. The results obtained during the project resulted in 3 publications in international peer reviewed journals.
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