Design of a Household Level Arsenic Treatment System for Rural Cambodia

Lien Institute for the Environment (LIFE) Global, 2008-09

Liaison(s): Chai Kok Chiew
Advisor(s): Darryl Yong ’96
Students(s): Catherine Bradshaw (HMCTL-S), Annika Eberle (HMC/TL-F), Eveline Ekklesia (NTU), Chun Heng Loh (NTU), Hui Qing Soh (NTU), Camille Sultana (HMC-S), Maggie Weber (HMC/TL-Summer)

Arsenic concentrations in Cambodian groundwater can be one hundred times greater than the World Health Organization’s standard of 10 ppm. While there are several arsenic treatment methods currently used in developed countries, these methods are not suitable for rural Cambodia. In collaboration with students from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, the team developed a culturally-relevant treatment method for rural Cambodia by adapting solutions from well-documented primary research. A proof-ofconcept prototype was constructed using materials available locally in Cambodia.