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Arsenic in groundwater is a huge problem in numerous regions of the world. Many people are exposed to high arsenic concentrations and consequently risk getting ill or even die as a result of arsenic poisoning. There are several efficient technologies for the removal of arsenic but often these methods have disadvantages, e.g. high costs for installation and/or operation, the need for chemicals or the production of arsenic contaminated filter sludge. These disadvantages can make the application difficult, especially in poor regions. Under suitable ancillary conditions the subterranean (in-situ) treatment, which is often used for iron and manganese removal from groundwater, can also be applied for the removal of arsenic and can be a cost-effective treatment technology. A field trial was carried out with a low-cost in-situ treatment plant in West Bengal/India which is described in this paper, in order to investigate whether this treatment technology is also applicable under the boundary conditions there. As for the in-situ treatment technology besides oxygen no additives are required and no arsenic contaminated filter sludge is produced this technology could be a suitable method for arsenic removal especially in poor regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents results of a novel application of coupling the Activated Sludge Model No. 3 (ASM3) and the Anaerobic Digestion Model No.1 (ADM1) to assess a tropical wastewater treatment plant in a developing country (Surat, India). In general, the coupled model was very capable of predicting current plant operation. The model proved to be a useful tool in investigating various scenarios for optimising treatment performance under present conditions and examination of upgrade options to meet stricter and upcoming effluent discharge criteria regarding N removal. It appears that use of plant-wide modelling of wastewater treatment plants is a promising approach towards addressing often complex interactions within the plant itself. It can also create an enabling environment for the implementations of the novel side processes for treatment of nutrient-rich, side-streams (reject water) from sludge treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]