Solubility of arsenic in multi-component systems : from the microscopic to macroscopic scale

Arsenic in groundwater has generated one of the most important problems with respect to the quality of drinking water in the modern world. The aim of this thesis has been to assess, as good as possible for the present state of the art, the factors and processes that govern the arsenic behavior in contaminated aquifers. The research tactics have included 3 sequential steps: (1) obtaining adsorption datasets for systems simulating relevant groundwater field situations; (2) interpretation of these data with a molecular based adsorption model and the model application to predict the adsorption behavior of arsenic for a range of compositions relevant in the field; (3) providing quantitative understanding of the behavior of arsenic in natural waters. This knowledge may contribute to a better understanding of the problem, the long-term solutions, such as an optimization of treatment techniques for drinking water as well as a methodology to guide the positioning of new arsenic-free well