Bangladeshi scientist wins $1m for arsenic filter

WASHINGTON: Abul Hussam, an associate professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry at George Mason University, Fairfax, Va., will receive the Grainger Challenge Gold Award of $1 million for his SONO filter, a household water treatment system.
   The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) announced the winners of the 2007 Grainger Challenge Prize for Sustainability. The contest sought innovative solutions for removing arsenic from drinking water that is slowly poisoning tens of millions of people in developing countries. Three prizes will be awarded from a field of more than 70 entries.
   SONO filter: The Gold Award-winning SONO filter is a point-of-use method for removing arsenic from drinking water. A top bucket is filled with locally available coarse river sand and a composite iron matrix (CIM). The sand filters coarse particles and imparts mechanical stability, while the CIM removes inorganic arsenic. The water then flows into a second bucket where it again filters through coarse river sand, then wood charcoal to remove organics, and finally through fine river sand and wet brick chips to remove fine particles and stabilize water flow. The SONO filter is now manufactured and used in Bangladesh.
   The prize winners are recognised for the development, in-field verification, and dissemination of effective techniques for reducing arsenic levels in water. The systems must be affordable, reliable, easy to maintain, socially acceptable, and environmentally friendly. All of the winning systems meet or exceed the local government guidelines for arsenic removal and require no electricity.
   Cupful by cupful, the people of Bangladesh and other developing countries are being poisoned by their drinking water from tube wells. Tens of millions of Bangladeshis-as much as a quarter of the total population-use tube wells that provide water containing 10 to 50 times the amount of arsenic considered safe. It is unclear how many tube wells there are in Bangladesh, but since 1998, an additional four million have been installed.
   To help solve this massive public health problem, the National Academy of Engineering with the generous support of The Grainger Foundation, is offering Grainger Challenge Prizes of $1,000,000, $200,000, and $100,000 for first, second, and third place for the design and creation of a workable, sustainable, economical, point-of-use water treatment system for arsenic-contaminated groundwater in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and other developing countries. The contest is now closed to new entries. In April 2006, the most promising 15 competitors were invited to enter the testing phase of the competition.
   Global problem
   Arsenic contamination is prevalent in neighboring Bangladesh and West Bengal, India, where a quarter of the population drinks water from shallow tube wells - an inexpensive, low-tech way of accessing groundwater. Many of the estimated 10 million tube wells were built with international aid to provide an alternative to bacteria-tainted surface water. Unfortunately, these wells frequently tap into aquifers contaminated by arsenic. In the United States, most communities with arsenic-laden groundwater have installed expensive, centralized cleanup technologies. Different solutions are required for less developed parts of the world with limited resources.
   Arsenic poisoning is a slow, painful process that can ultimately result in cancer and death. Debilitating sores appear first and are followed by nerve damage, often in the hands and legs, which are especially sensitive to arsenic. Affected people can have difficulty working or even walking, and continued exposure can lead to liver failure, kidney failure, and the amputation of arms or legs.
   "The primary purpose of the Grainger prize is to accelerate the development and dissemination of technologies that enhance social and environmental sustainability for the benefit of current and future generations," said NAE President Wm. A. Wulf. "The prize stimulates innovation, initiative, and marketing of good ideas. A complementary goal of the prize competition is to increase awareness within the U.S. engineering community of the importance of designing and engineering for sustainability, particularly in an international context, and to encourage and showcase efforts by U.S. engineers to bring sustainable technologies to the marketplace and to promote green design philosophies," Wulf added.
   The goal of this particular challenge was chosen with the assistance of an advisory panel expert in the area of sustainable development. The selection of the recipients was made by a committee of Academy members with expertise in water chemistry, manufacturing, environmental engineering, and public health. Charles R. O'Melia, NAE member and Abel Wolman Professor of Environmental Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, chaired the selection committee.
   The Grainger Challenge Prize for Sustainability is made possible through the generous support of The Grainger Foundation. The prize was administered and managed by the National Academy of Engineering.
   The National Academy of Engineering is an independent, nonprofit institution. Its members consist of the nation's premier engineers, who are elected by their peers for seminal contributions to engineering. The academy provides leadership and guidance to government on the application of engineering resources to social, economic, and security problems. Established in 1964, NAE operates under the congressional charter granted to the National Academy of Sciences in 1863.
   The Grainger Foundation, of Lake Forest, Ill., was established in 1949 by Mr. & Mrs. William Wallace Grainger. It has provided substantive support over the years to a broad range of organizations including educational institutions, museums, and healthcare and human services providers. Mr. Grainger, an electrical engineer, established W.W. Grainger Inc., a national leader in the distribution of maintenance, repair, and operating supplies and components.
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