Bangladesh Arsenic Case Study

Cost comparison

Option Deep Tubewell Household Treatment Dug Well Pond Sand Filter Rain Water Piped Supply

Unit Cost ($) $500 - 790 $5 - 50 $560 - 620 $400 - 600 $100 - 200 $30,000

Persons Cost per (per unit) Person ($) 250 5 125 250 5 2000 $2 - 3 $3 - 20 $4.5 - 5 $2 - 4 $20 - 40 $17

Cost per arsenicosis case avoided $30 - 50 $55 - 330 $65 - 70 $35 - 65 $350 - 630 $280

Source: Ahmed (2002)

Extent of Contamination and Health Effects

Predicted National Rates of Arsenicosis and Cancer

Present Conditions
Arsenicosis
West Bengal Data our model fit

150m Wells Remedy

690,000 people (0.57%)

1,860,000 people (1%)

Skin Cancer
Taiwan Data our fit

125,000 people ( 0.1%)

37,000 people (0.04%)

Internal Cancers
Taiwan Data NRC model fit

3,000 people/yr

800 people/yr

The 150m well remedy: Replaces 30% of the nations wells That is 800,000 wells at a cost of $500/well Total cost of $395,000,000 $340 per reduction in arsenicosis prevalence

Groundwater Arsenic Concentration vs. Age of Well

3

Concentration (ln-ppb)

2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Age of Well (years)

Each point represents an average of ~200 wells. Wells were sampled in 1997-1999.

????
Big Basic Questions: Why are dissolved arsenic levels so high? Where does it come from? -- Little solid phase arsenic Why isnt it flushed away? -- Flow + Little retardation Why are arsenic concentrations so variable on small scales? Important Questions for Decision Making: Will arsenic concentrations change? Can deep aquifers provide a long-term solution? Key Scientific Questions: What is the solid state of arsenic? How do shifts in water chemistry affect arsenic mobility?

MIT/BUET Field Site

Dhaleswari River

5 km

Field Site

Padma River

Biogeochemistry

Arsenic Profile
Dissolved As (ppb)
Surface 0 Clay 20

Solid phase Arsenic ug/g or ppm 800 0 2 4 6 8 10

Core

15 Piezometers

400

40

60

Depth (m) 80

Sand

100

120

Clay
140

160

Sand

Solid As
0

Solid Fe
80 Clay 0 (moles/g dry wt.) 200 400 600 800

(nmoles/g dry wt.) 20 60 40

20

40

Arsenic Extraction Targets

Weakly adsorbed Strongly adsorbed Carbonates, AVS, amorphous oxides Crystalline Fe oxides, amorphous As sulfides Silicates, As 2O3 Crystalline Sulfides pyrite

60

Mostly Fe II (Except for magnetite)

Depth (m) 80
100

120

Clay
140

160

Competing Anions
0

Depth
(m)

80

Arsenic
160 0.01 0.1 1 10

Phosphate

Silicate

100

1000

(M)

-2 0 20 40 Depth (m) 60 80 100 120 140 160 180

log saturation index (SI) 0 2 4 6 8

SEM Bangladesh aquifer

Depth: 91 Fraction: non-magnetic heavy

Ca5(PO4)3OH (Hydroxyapatite) Fe3(PO4)2 (Vivianite) CaCO3 (Calcite) FeCO3 (Siderite)

2 1 4

20 m 1. quartz (SiO2) 3. rutile (TiO2) 2. Ca-phosphate 4. REE-phosphate

Sulfur Chemistry
Dissolved Sulfur (uM) and As (nM)
0.1 0 1 10 100 1000 10000

0.01

Solid phase Sulfur (umoles/g) 0.1 1 10

100

H2S
20 40

SO4

As

Depth (m)

60 80 100 120
H2S detection limit

140

Total sulfur
160 180

AVS

Dissolved Carbon
Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) (mM)
0 0.4 . 0.8 . 1.2 . 1.6 . 2

20 40 60

Methane

Depth (m )
80 100

DIC DOC

120 401 601 180

10

Inorganic (DIC) and Methane (mM)

Arsenic, Ammonium and Calcium

Dissolved As ( M) NH 4 + ( M x 10 )
0 0 20 40 60 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Depth (m)

80 100 120 140 160 180

0.5

1.5

2.5

Dissolved Ca (mM)

Comparison of MIT field site to BGS national data set

Munshi gan j A rsen i c
0
D issolved ( M) 2 4 6 8

B GS average A rsen i c
0 0.2 ( M) 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0

Munshi gan j Su lfate

1 Sulfate ( M) 10 100

B GS average Su lfate
0 50 ( M) 100 150 200 250

Munshi gan j C al ci um & B GS average C al ci um A m m onium (mM ) C alcium (mM )

0 1 2

1.5

1.0

2.5

20

AVS
NH + 4

40
D issolved As

60

D epth (m )
80
Solid phase As

As

Ca

100

120

140
Total solid phase S

160

25 50 75 100 Solid (nmol /g dry wt. )

0.1 1 10 Total Solid Sulfur ( mol/g) A cid Volatile Sulfide

1 2

3 4

6 7

N H4 + ( M x 10) A s ( M)

Arsenic in Withdrawn Water

after Injection of Low-Arsenic Groundwater Water
Dissolved As (ppb)
0

Original Value = 700 ppb

300 250 200

400

800

20

40

ppb
150

60

Depth (m)

100
80

50 0 0

100

100

200

300

400

120

hours

140

160

Arsenic in Withdrawn Water after Injection of Nitrate

Dissolved As (ppb)
0

400

800

Injectate: Nitrate Added to High-Arsenic Groundwater

20

800 700

40
600

60

Depth (m)

500

ppb
80
400 300

Injected Volume Removed

100
200

120
100

140

0 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450

160

hours

Arsenic in Withdrawn Water after Injection of Molasses

Dissolved As (ppb)
0

Injectate: Molasses Added to Low-Arsenic Groundwater

Original Value = 120 ppb
60

400

800

20

40

50

60

40

Depth (m)

80

ppb

30

100

20

120

10

140

0 0 100 200 300 400 500

160

hours

Carbon Isotopes
1000
Surface Water Carbon (Atmospheric values over last 50 years)

Inflow of young carbon Young carbon drives biochemistry

Radiocarbon Age 0 700 2000 4000

500

Inorganic Carbon
14

C0/00
0
Methanogenesis

3m

19m 30m 60m

Methane Organic Carbon

-500

Mixture of young and old carbon is not the result of pore water mixing, but mobilization of old organic carbon

CaCO 3
-1000 -70 -30 -25 -20 -15 -10
13

-5

C0/00