Research on the biological technology for purification of arsenic contamination to supply safe drinking water in South East Asia

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24404018
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 海外学術
• Research Field: Civil and environmental engineering
• Research Institution: Tohoku Gakuin University
• Principal Investigator: Endo Ginro 東北学院大学, 工学部, 教授 (80194033)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): Miyauchi Keisuke 東北学院大学, 工学部, 教授 (20324014)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 東南アジア / 地下水ヒ素汚染 / 低コストヒ素除去技術 / ヒ素高蓄積植物 / 水耕栽培によるヒ素除去

Outline of Final Research Achievements

From the results obtained in the field investigation in Southeast Asia, it was recognized that groundwater arsenic contamination especially in Mekong Delta area has gotten serious. Adding this, soil arsenic contamination level in Mekong Delta by the use of the arsenic containing groundwater has also been increasing. Because of about 80% of the arsenic in the groundwater is dissolved as arsenite ion, microbial oxidation of the arsenite to arsenate is required to combine the following the plant hydroponics treatment using arsenic hyper-accumulator Pteris vittata that is an indigenous plant in Southeast Asian countries. The developed biological arsenic removal technology is applicable to solve groundwater arsenic contamination problems in the developing countries in Southeast Asia, and to improve groundwater quality to drinkable water, because the technology does not need special chemicals and energy for the purification of the arsenic contaminated groundwater.

Free Research Field

環境生物工学