List of supplementary information

Arsenic and Fluoride Contaminated Ground Waters: A Review of

Current Technologies for Contaminants Removal
Sachin V. Jadhava, Eugenio Bringasb, Ganapati D. Yadav,*a Virendra K. Rathoda, Inmaculada Ortiz,b; Kumudini V. Marathea

(a) Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Chemical Technology,

Nathalal Parekh Marg, Matunga, MUMBAI 400019, INDIA.
(b) Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Universidad de Cantabria, Avda,
Los Castros s/n. 39005 SANTANDER, SPAIN.

Figure S-1. Probability of occurrence of excessive fluoride concentrations in groundwater

Figure S-2. Probability of occurrence of excessive arsenic concentrations in groundwater
Figure S-3. Arsenic and fluoride co-occurrence worldwide
Table S-1. Recent data on co-contamination of As and F in various parts of the world

Figure S-1. Probability of occurrence of excessive fluoride concentrations in groundwater (International Groundwater Resource
Assessment Centre, http://www.un-igrac.org/)

Figure S-2. Probability of occurrence of excessive arsenic concentrations in groundwater (International Groundwater Resource
Assessment Centre, http://www.un-igrac.org/)

Figure S-3. Arsenic and fluoride co-occurrence worldwide (International Groundwater Resource Assessment centre, http://www.unigrac.org/)

Table S-1. Recent data on co-contamination of As and F in various parts of the world (Articles listed from oldest to newest)
Type of article,
development

Investigators

Zhu et al. (2006)

Informative article
al. Lab scale testing
samples

Farooqui
(2007)

al. Informative article

Lab scale testing
samples

Chouhan

and

of Type of water, Geographical

Results/remarks obtained in publication
location

Drinking water
Shaanxi province,
China

Lab scale testing

Community level sampling

ValenzuelaVasquez et
(2006)

et

Level

Review
(biological/toxicity

F level of 7144 water samples = 1.170.93 mg/L

There were 3396 (47.6%) high-F waters (F level was above 1.0
mg/L) distributing in 786 (45.1%) villages, where about 0.8
million (50.0%) people inhabited
Additionally, the F level of the 1315 fluoride-reducing projects =
western 2.791.09 and 0.980.47 mg/L before and after building the
projects
As level of 1732 water samples = 0.0100.082 mg/L
There were 174 (14.9%) high As waters (As level was above
0.010 mg/L) being detected, distributing in 41 (38.7%) villages
The As level in 53 (4.5%) water samples = 0.025 mg/L
Results:
F = 0.537.59 mg/dm3
HCO3 = 74.8617 mg/dm3
pH = 7.249.15
Origin of groundwater F was found to be related to deep regional
flows, heating processes and fluorite dissolutions in granitic rocks

of

Groundwater
Samples collected from 15
field wells
Hermosillo,
La
Victoria,
Mexico

of

Results:
Groundwater
field Kalalanwala and KotAsadullah, F = 2.4721.1 mg/L
As = 321900 g/L
Pakistan

article
point of

Remarks:
Review focuses on recent development in research on the

Flora (2010)

Pant (2011)

view)
Informative article
Shallow wells of depth 311m,
tube wells of depth 1130m, Groundwater
and deep-tube wells of depth Kathmandu,
Lalitpur
>30m
Bhaktapur, Nepal
Lab scale testing of field
samples

Chakraborti et al. Informative article focusing on Groundwater

current groundwater status in
(2011)
Indian Soil
India

Currell
(2011)

et

condition of individual as well as combined exposure to As and F

Informative article
Reaction of sediments with DI
Groundwater
al. water
and
synthetically
Yuncheng basin,
prepared Na/Ca solutions was
China
determined
Field/lab scale research

Results:
F = 0.40.7 mg/L
and As = 0.0040.009 mg/L
Fe = 1.52 mg/L

Remarks:
More than 66 million people are suffering from fluorosis 20 of 28
Indian states have some degree of groundwater F contamination
70.4 million people are suffering from As contamination
6 Indian states have been reported with As contamination
Results:
F = 1.56.6 mg/L
As = 1027 g/L
High pH may favor desorption of F and As from sediments
Sediments procured from affected areas reacted with DI and
northern synthetic Na/Ca solutions produced F concentrations between
0.49 and 2.7 mg/L and As concentrations between 0.51 and 16.7
g/L
Up to 45% more F and 35% more As were released when
sediments were reacted with a Na-rich, Ca-poor solution
compared to a Ca-rich solution

 Groundwater
486 water samples including
article focusing on
392 shallow
of F and As
groundwater samples (<50m)
and 94 deep groundwater
testing of field
samples (50 m) tested
Datong basin, Shanxi Province,
China

Li et al. (2012)

Informative
mechanism
occurrence
Lab scale
samples

Ahn (2012)

Informative
article
on
geochemical behavior of waters
Bedrock groundwater
obtained from field
Geumsan County, Korea
Lab scale testing of field
samples

Brahman et
(2012)

al. Informative article

Lab scale testing
samples

Informative article
Kim et al. (2012) Lab scale testing
samples

Results:
Shallow groundwater contained F as high as 22 mg/L and mainly
occurred in discharge area in basin center
Highest F concentration of deep groundwater samples was 8.3
mg/L which mainly occurs in western mountain front area
Highest As concentration reached up to 469 g/L and 300 g/L in
shallow and deep groundwater, respectively
Desorption of Fe-(hydr)oxides was suggested to be the major
mechanism
Results:
As = 113 g/L
F = 7.54 mg/L
As and F concentrations were greater than WHO drinking water
standard in 24 (16%) of 150 samples
10% of samples were contaminated with NO3

of

Results:
Groundwater
F = 1.2743 mg/L
Chachro and Diplo sub districts As(III) = 0.0400.880 mg/L
field
(North to south) of Tharparkar As(V) = 0.1032.01 mg/L
district, Pakistan
pH = 6.59

of

Groundwater
Results:
72 samples collected from 43
F = 0.022.74 mg/L
field shallow wells
Mankyeong River floodplain, As = 1100 g/L
Korea

Alarcon-Herrera
et al. (2013)

Remarks:
The origin of As and F in groundwater in Latin America proposed
as geogenic by nature, with the primary source identified as
volcanic glass and, to a lesser extent, hydrothermal minerals
Informative/review
article
Groundwater, drinking water, Co-occurrences of As and F in drinking water were linked to the
focusing
on
simultaneous
waters from mines
volcaniclastic particles in the loess or alluvium, alkaline pH, and
occurrence of As and F in Latin
Latin America
limited recharge
America
The As and F contamination results from waterrock interactions
and were said to be accelerated by geothermal and mining
activities, as well as by aquifer over-exploitation

Reference for supplementary information

Brahman, K.D., Kazi, T.G., Afridi, H.I., Naseem, S., Arain, S.S., Ullah, N., 2013. Evaluation of high levels of fluoride, arsenic species
and other physicochemical parameters in underground water of two sub districts of Tharparkar, Pakistan: A multivariate study. Water
Res. 3, 10051020.
Maps for presence of arsenic and fluoride worldwide. International Groundwater Resource Assessment centre (http://www.unigrac.org/)
Pant B.R., 2011. Ground water quality in the Kathmandu valley of Nepal. Environ. Monit. Assess. 178, 477485.
Valenzuela-Vasquez, L., Ramirez-Hernandez, J., Reyes-Lopez, J., Sol-Uribe, A., Lazaro-Mancilla, O., 2006. The origin of fluoride in
groundwater supply to Hermosillo City, Sonora, Mexico. Environ. Geol. 51, 1727.
Zhu, C., Bai, G., Liu, X., Li, Y., 2006. Screening high-fluoride and high-arsenic drinking waters and surveying endemic fluorosis and
arsenism in Shaanxi province in western China. Water Res. 40, 30153022.