Archive · 25 Aug 2026
IIT Guwahati Develops Low-Cost Reactor for Arsenic, Fluoride Removal
Scientists at IIT Guwahati built a machine that cleans water containing arsenic and fluoride.
These substances can make groundwater unsafe to drink when they are present in high amounts.
The machine uses electricity and a spinning aluminium electrode.
The spinning motion helps the machine mix the water and trap the unwanted substances.
In tests, it removed up to 98.2% of arsenate and 91.8% of fluoride.
The researchers estimated that treating 1,000 litres could cost between Rs 18 and Rs 58.
They also tested the system with real groundwater from Assam.
The team hopes to build a larger version that communities could use in the future.
IIT Guwahati developed a rotating-anode electrocoagulation reactor to remove arsenic and fluoride simultaneously.
Experiments achieved up to 98.2% arsenate removal and 91.8% fluoride removal within minutes.
Researchers estimated operating costs of Rs 18–Rs 58 per 1,000 litres, depending on contaminant concentrations.
Tests included naturally occurring ions and real groundwater samples collected from Assam.
The team plans to develop a pilot-scale continuous-flow version for potential field deployment.
- Who
- Researchers led by Prof Mihir Kumar Purkait and research scholar Mukesh Bharti at IIT Guwahati.
- What
- Developed a rotating-anode electrocoagulation reactor that removes arsenic and fluoride from groundwater simultaneously.
- When
- During the researchers’ experiments; the articles do not specify a date.
- Where
- IIT Guwahati, with real groundwater samples collected from Assam.
- Why
- To provide a potentially low-cost treatment option for groundwater contaminated with arsenic and fluoride.
- Technology
- Rotating-anode electrocoagulation reactor
- Contaminants targeted
- Arsenic and fluoride
- Arsenate removal
- Up to 98.2%
- Fluoride removal
- Up to 91.8%
- Estimated operating cost
- Rs 18–Rs 58 per 1,000 litres
- Testing
- Included realistic groundwater conditions and samples from Assam
- Next step
- Development of a pilot-scale continuous-flow reactor