Guwahati: For many districts in Assam, fluoride and arsenic contamination in groundwater has been a major cause of concern, which is now slated to be eliminated.
The Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT-G) has recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with RD Grow Green India Private Ltd, which has made it possible to treat contaminated groundwater without using any chemical.
“Drinking water contamination is a major problem in most states, including Assam. This chemical-free treatment technique might be useful to citizens both in rural and urban areas. I appreciate the initiative made by the IIT Guwahati team that has resulted in the successful incubation of a company within IIT Guwahati (RD Grow Green India) which has taken up the challenge to supply contaminant-free drinking water in Assam using technology developed by Professor M. K. Purkait,” IIT-G Director T.G. Sitharam said on Tuesday.
Purkait said the technology is based on the principle “Apparatus and Method for Removal of Fluoride, Iron, Arsenic and Micro-organisms from Contaminated Drinking Water”.
The technology is patented by Purkait under the Indian patent number 286481.
“In the electrocoagulation process, an applied potential generates the coagulant species in situ as the sacrificial metal anode (aluminium or iron) dissolves, while hydrogen is simultaneously evolved at the cathode.
“Coagulant species aggregate the suspended particles, or precipitate, and adsorb dissolved contaminants. Tiny bubbles of hydrogen and oxygen that are formed during electrolysis of water collide with air bubbles which compel the pollutant particles to float,” Purkait said.
“Aluminium has been seen to be very effective and successful in iron, arsenic and fluoride removal at favourable operating conditions. The technology is equally effective for the treatment of industrial effluent, including oily wastewater,” he added.
RD Grow Green India is an incubating company at the Technology Incubation Centre in IIT Guwahati and is working on this project for the treatment of contaminated drinking water and industrial effluents.
“The company is capable of handling arsenic, iron and fluoride contamination in Assam in collaboration in an appropriate manner with the state government,” said RD Grow Green MD Rajeev Saikia.
He said the application is time tested state-of-the-art appropriate technology.
“In this process, there is zero wastage of water,” Saikia said.
At least 24 districts in Assam currently face the problem of either arsenic or fluoride contamination of groundwater. According to government statistics, groundwaters in at least 6,881 locations of Assam are found to be contaminated by arsenic, while there is fluoride contamination in 930 locations across the state.
The Assam government had in the past announced many schemes to remove arsenic and fluoride contamination but none of them has proved effective.
