III.2 Remediation and water treatment Arsenic removal from groundwater by small-scale reverse osmosis unit in rural Bihar, India

In 2007 Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences started testing of some small-scale marine RO units (known as watermakers) on arsenic removal (Geucke, 2009). Other commercially available RO units for decentralized desalination have proven to work reliably with seawater at remote locations under difficult conditions (Moerkwater, 2011). They can be powered by sustainable energy sources, such as photovoltaics or wind wheels (Moerkwater, 2011). However, their application on arsenic removal from groundwater is more difficult due to lower retention of As(III) compared to NaCl and the issue of concentrate disposal.