Guanajuato, Gto., July 26, 2018.- The pollution of the groundwater is one of the utmost important problems in Mexico; concentrations of arsenic and fluoride have been detected in 18 states and they are above the average allowed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Mexican regulation.

These pollutants cause health damages such as diabetes, bone or lung cancer, explained Dr. José Luis Nava Montes de Oca, professor ascribed to the Department of Geomatics and Hydraulic Engineering at the Division of Engineering of the University of Guanajuato (UG), who since has been working on a project for ten years to remove arsenic and fluoride from groundwater.

The goal, explained the scholar, is to let technological transfer in and start a plant that can be used by drinking water municipal systems. The technical part has been proven by a team of researchers and has created publications in high-impact-global scientific magazines.

The technology that is being developed in UG allows to remove the arsenic and fluoride, applying an electrocoagulation technique. This research has formed masters and doctors who work in removing these pollutants, "because the solution to this problem, specially to treat large volumes of water, still missing", the technologies that are used today are expensive and difficult to operate, said Dr. José Luis Nava.

In the field studies, UG researchers detected that groundwater –from where the communities from the plateau and Bajío get supply—has exceeded at times the allowed limit of arsenic and fluoride, according with WHO and the Mexican regulations.

With this technology, it simultaneously reduces the concentration of arsenic and fluoride, until it reaches levels below the established in the norm and has even eliminated arsenic.

Additionally, the research group led by Dr. Nava Montes de Oca, found that same technology allows to eliminate another substance: silica, which is not regulated, although its repercussions in health specifically affect the renal pathways.

On the matter, mentioned that this species is found in hot springs, rich in minerals, and is generating serious problems to the operating organisms. The pipelines reduce its dimeter due to the incrustation of silica salts that attach to the walls of the pipes, fracturing them.

There is also information that homes have had to change the hydraulic installation because the diameter of the pipelines have reduced due the incrustation of silica.

The professor emphasized that this research has developed for a decade and its progress have been printed in important scientific magazines, hence, it has positioned UG's academic level as leader in the subject of removing arsenic and fluoride.

He reaffirmed that they pretend to go from research to technological transfer and has given big steps. Today, they are working with three water operating organisms. In the short or mid-term, the goal is to install a treatment plant in communities, where the main source of supply is the groundwater.

To finalize, Dr. José Luis Nava explained that these works are made in the Laboratory of Science and Technology of Water, at Campus Guanajuato. This space is equipped to make analysis of all the metals in the periodic table and other ions present in deep water.

This laboratory analyzes the quality of water, development of basic research and technological development. The lab has a super-computer to make the necessary numeric simulations in the scale changes from laboratory to industry, and in those spaces, they form students in bachelor's, master's and doctorate.

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