ARSENICPLATFORM - PROJECT OVERVIEW

“Arsenic and ammonium in drinking water: implementation of a cross-border Platform for safe water“ – ARSENICPLATFORM (HUSRB/1002/121/075) - project implemented jointly by the experts from the Eötvös József College in Baja (Hungary) and the Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Environmental Protection of the Faculty of Sciences in Novi Sad.

PROBLEMS OF WATER SUPPLY
ARSENICPLATFORM is a research program that has resulted from the fact that ground water with high alkalinity and the content of arsenic, boron, sodium and ammonium are the main source of drinking water for over 1.8 million residents in the district of Csongrád and Bács-Kiskun (Hungary) and Bačka and Banat (Serbia).
Ammonium and arsenic cause problems on many water treatment plants, therefore the majority of the population in these areas is supplied with drinking water in which the content of ammonium and arsenic is above the maximum allowable concentration for drinking water (0.5 mg/L and 10 mg/l, respectively), as defined by EU Directive (98/83/EC).
Specifically in Serbia, around 40% of the population (> 600,000 people) are supplied with drinking water containing more than 10 mg As/l. Arsenic content in water varies from 50 to 100 mg As/l, and there are municipalities where its content in drinking water ranges up to 250 mg As/l.
Besides arsenic in groundwater which is used for the municipal water supply in the areas of central and northern Banat, western Bačka and partly in southern Bačka, the water also contains the natural organic matter in concentrations up to 13 mg/l TOC. In addition, it was found that over 70% of the drinking water contains ammonium above the allowable level.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES
Arsenicplatform project objectives are the implementation of the Platform for safe drinking water, finding solutions to problems of increased arsenic and ammonium content in water, as well as providing the necessary expertise and conducting training to optimize the development of infrastructure for water supply in the region.
In order to achieve this, besides the implementation of the Platform, the project includes a number of other activities including:

• Establishing a common database on water quality in the areas covered by the project,

• Adaptation of the laboratory space and supply of equipment (mobile pilot processing unit for oxidation, coagulation and flocculation, membrane filtration),

• Developing the processes for arsenic and ammonium removal,

• Stabilization of sludge containing arsenic,

• Investigating the effect of natural organic matter on arsenic removal,

• Organization of conferences and workshops which serve as a platform for exchange ideas and research results, and

• Publishing the objectives and results of the research by various media.

The project aims at examining various mechanisms and effectiveness of certain technological processes for the reduction of arsenic and ammonium in water rich in natural organic matter, which is to be implemented through laboratory and pilot studies. In addition, the composition of sludge produced during water treatment by using various techniques, and the possibility of minimizing its impact on the environment during further processing and disposal, will be examined.
The conducted research will serve as the basis for determining the relevant environmental factors and the role of other pollutants in the process of removing arsenic and ammonium.
The results obtained and made available to target groups (academia, government representatives and experts in the field of water supply, local and regional self-governing communities, etc.) will enable the people in the field of water supply to better understand and master the skills for developing the cost-efficient strategies for drinking water, such as proper selection of the water treatment or optimization of the drinking water treatment plant.
Through the Platform and transfer of knowledge, wider access to the following elements will be provided:

• Interdisciplinary research programs to address critical problems in the drinking water quality management in the region, including issues such as, for example, the choice of technology for the preparation of drinking water.
• Training program for members of the Platform in the management of drinking water quality, in order to contribute to capacity building in the field of public education on the issues of environment and health that are related to water management.
• Technical training and capacity building of the services to support utilities and other water experts, including government officials who have the responsibility of managing the safe drinking water.

“Arsenic and ammonium in drinking water: implementation of a cross-border Platform for safe water “ – ARSENICPLATFORM aims at reaching a long-term impact on the regional policy in the field of water supply and development of cost-efficient strategies for drinking water, through the development of the cross-border cooperation and at the same time encouraging a dialogue and partnerships between scientific institutions and all other stakeholders in the area, including the authorities and decision-makers.

Arsenic and ammonium in drinking water: implementation of a cross-border platform for safe water – ARSENICPLATFORM, Hungary-Serbia IPA Cross border Co-operation Programme, HUSRB/1002/121/075.
Project financed by EU.
Project duration: 1.11. 2011. - 31. 10. 2013.
Project leader: for Hungary Dr Zoltán Melicz, Eötvös József College in Baja (Hungary), and for Serbia Dr Jasmina Agbaba from the Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Environmental Protection of the Faculty of Sciences in Novi Sad.

The subsurface water bodies are the main source of drinking water in the Csongrád and Bács-Kiskun counties (in Hungary) and Bačka and Banat regions (Serbia) for more than 1.8 million people. Almost all of the water bodies are polluted by arsenic, alkalinity, boron, sodium and ammonium, well above the maximum allowable concentrations (MAC) for potable water. Ammonium and arsenic compounds cause problems in many drinking water facilities: the majority of inhabitants are supplied with drinking water containing As and NH4 concentrations above the MAC levels at present. To comply with the EU and the Serbian regulations severe interventions are necessary in the water sector, which will require high expenditures for adaptation of the proper treatment technologies. Literature suggests several methods for the removal of arsenic and ammonium. However, the raw water quality here is regarded as special (high NOM concentration), which has unknown influence on the efficacy of the treatment process.

The objective of the project is to implement a Platform with the participation of the EJF and UNSPMF who initiated the research program to address finding solutions of the critical problems in drinking water quality management in the region. The laboratory and the subsequent pilot-scale experiments (to investigate various types of basic mechanisms and efficiency of technological units) performed by the two universities serve as a basis for determination of the relevant environmental factors and the role of other pollution substances on As and ammonia removal. Results are disseminated thus providing the target groups with better understanding and skills for the cost-efficient development strategies of drinking water management such as a proper treatment process selection or optimization of the drinking water treatment plant.