Department Water Resources and Drinking Water

Groundwater is a much safer and more dependable source of drinking water than surface water. However, natural (geogenic) hazardous elements can contaminate groundwater and lead to severe health problems in consumers. Arsenic concentrations exceeding the WHO drinking water guideline of 10 μg/L globally affect over 220 million people and can cause arsenicosis (skin lesions and cancers). Fluoride, while preventing caries at low concentrations, has detrimental effects when above the WHO drinking water guideline of 1.5 mg/L and puts several hundred million people at risk of dental and skeletal fluorosis. In this article, we report on the geochemistry and occurrence of arsenic and fluoride in groundwater and on the development of global and regional risk maps that help alert governments and water providers to take appropriate mitigation measures for the provision of safe drinking water. We then summarize research on the removal of arsenic and fluoride from drinking water, focusing on adapted technologies for water treatment. Finally, we discuss the applicability of various measures in a larger context and future challenges in reaching the goal of access to safe drinking water for all.

Ozonation of secondary wastewater treatment plant effluent for the abatement of organic micropollutants requires an accurate process control, which can be based on monitoring ozone-induced changes in dissolved organic matter (DOM). This study presents a novel automated analytical system for monitoring changes in the electron donating capacity (EDC) and UV absorbance of DOM during ozonation. In a first step, a quantitative photometric EDC assay was developed based on electron-transfer reactions from phenolic moieties in DOM to an added chemical oxidant, the radical cation of 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS^·+). The assay is highly sensitive (limit of quantification ∼0.5 mg_DOC·L^-1) and EDC values of model DOM isolates determined by this assay were in good agreement with values determined previously by mediated electrochemical oxidation (slope = 1.01 ± 0.07, R² = 0.98). In a second step, the photometric EDC measurement method was transferred onto an automated fluidic system coupled to a photometer (EDC analyzer). The EDC analyzer was then used to monitor changes in EDC and UV absorbance of secondary wastewater effluent treated with ozone. While both parameters exhibited a dose-dependent decrease, a more pronounced decrease in EDC as compared to UV absorbance was observed at specific ozone doses up to 0.4 mg_O3·g_DOC^-1. The concentration of 17α-ethinylestradiol, a phenolic micropollutant with a high ozone reactivity, decreased proportionally to the EDC decrease. In contrast, abatement of less ozone-reactive micropollutants and bromate formation started only after a pronounced initial decrease in EDC. The on-line EDC analyzer presented herein will enable a comprehensive assessment of the combination of EDC and UV absorbance as control parameters for full-scale ozonation.

Sorption processes control the solubility of toxic thallium (Tl) in soils and thereby its potential leaching into groundwater or uptake by plants. Micaceous clay minerals and Mn oxides are considered to be key sorbents for Tl in soils. We studied the sorption and speciation of Tl in 36 geogenically Tl-rich topsoil materials from the Swiss Jura Mountains by combining chemical extractions, isotope exchange experiments, adsorption experiments, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and sorption modelling. We demonstrate that the relation between exchangeable and soluble Tl determined in batch extractions of soils with only geogenic and with freshly spiked Tl matches adsorption isotherms of freshly spiked Tl, and that this relation can be described with a published 3-site cation exchange model for Tl adsorption onto illite. Complemented with XAS data, the results show that micaceous clay minerals control the short-term solubility of Tl via cation exchange, but also the long-term sequestration of most geogenic soil Tl (>90%) via structural fixation. Adsorption competition with K⁺ and NH⁺₄ at the frayed edges of micaceous clay minerals greatly affects Tl solubility. Increases in the dissolved concentrations of K and NH₄ in soil pore water may therefore lead to the release of Tl into solution. The fractions of geogenic Tl associated with Mn oxides were about half as high as the fractions of exchangeable Tl. This Mn-associated Tl is not readily mobilized by cation exchange, but could be released during periodic water logging and soil reduction. In (periodically) reducing environments, the potential of Mn oxides for long-term Tl sequestration is therefore limited. In conclusion, the results from this study highlight the importance of micaceous clay minerals for Tl cycling in soils and sediments, and suggest that concepts developed to assess the sorption of (radio)caesium onto micaceous clay minerals in soils and sediments are transferable to Tl.