ABSTRACT
Dissolved arsenic (As) in water is toxic to humans, plants, and animals. Long-term exposure to drinking water containing arsenic in excess of 50 μg/L causes increased risk of skin, lung, bladder, and kidney cancer and increased risk of premature death. Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US EPA recommend 10 μg/L of As as the limit for human drinking water. Widespread efforts are being made globally to develop effective and affordable technologies for removal of As from water. Conventional adsorbents such as aluminum, iron, titanium, zirconium, and manganese were studied extensively to remove As from water. However, these conventional As adsorbents have various limitations. For example, As in water exists in two oxidation states, arsenite (III) and arsenate (V), and it is difficult to remove both oxidation states simultaneously under a wide range of pHs and different concentrations of competing anions. The objectives of this study were to measure As concentrations in groundwater samples from rural domestic wells in the western US and to study the effectiveness of Copper Oxide (CuO) particles in removal of As from groundwater under natural conditions, i.e., without adjusting the pH, oxidation state, or spiking with competing anions (e.g., phosphate, silica, and sulfate).
