Publications

Millions of people are exposed to toxic levels of dissolved arsenic in groundwater used for drinking. Iron electrocoagulation (FeEC) has been demonstrated as...

Our lab’s long-time efforts in developing cost-effective arsenic remediation technologies was featured in Rudd Family Foundation’s Big Ideas contest. You can read about...

Read this Op-Ed by Ashok Gadgil and Dana Hernandez discussion Arsenic in groundwater in rural California....

Water-purifying technology developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (Berkeley Lab) was named among only five in the world that meet current international standards...

India represents one-third of the world’s fluorosis burden and is the fifth global producer of bauxite ore, which has previously been identified as...

Shallow groundwater containing toxic concentrations of arsenic is the primary source of drinking water for millions of households in rural West Bengal, India....

Iron electrocoagulation (Fe-EC) has been shown to effectively remove arsenic from contaminated groundwater at low cost and has the potential to improve access...

Abstract: Biomass is the predominant cooking fuel in Haiti, where it creates burdens on both the environment and the Haitian people. Following the...

Abstract: A lighting cone is a simple metal cone placed on the charcoal bed during ignition to increase draft. Many traditional charcoal-burning stoves...

Globally, 200 million people drink groundwater contaminated with fluoride concentrations exceeding the World Health Organization’s recommended level (WHO-MCL = 1.5 mg F–/L). This...

Full text available here....

Traditional smoky cooking fires are one of today’s greatest environmental threats to human life. These fires, used by 40% of the global population,...

Iron electrocoagulation (Fe-EC) is a low-cost process in which Fe(II) generated from an Fe(0) anode reacts with dissolved O2 to form (1) Fe(III)...

Full and free Open Access text available here. Abstract: Three billion people cook their food on biomass-fueled fires. This practice contributes to the...

Extended field trials to remove arsenic (As) via Fe(0) electrocoagulation (EC) have demonstrated consistent As removal from groundwater to concentrations below 10 μg L−1. However,...

Abstract: Emissions from solid-fuel cookstoves, used by almost three billion people worldwide, create major issues for both human health and the environment. These...

Well into the 21st century, safe and affordable drinking water remains an unmet human need. At least 1.8 billion people are potentially exposed...

Technologies addressing both arsenic and microbial contamination of Bengal groundwater are needed. Fe electrocoagulation (Fe-EC), a simple process relying on the dissolution of an Fe(0) anode...

Abstract: Three billion people rely on combustion of biomass to cook their food, and the resulting air pollution kills 4 million people annually....

Charcoal cooking accounts for a large portion of Haiti’s energy usage and leads to severe economic, health, and environmental hardships. Organizations are hoping...

Some types of biomass stoves, such as charcoal stoves, tend to be difficult to light due to poor initial draft and sensitivity to...

Mixed-valent iron nanoparticles (NP) generated electrochemically by Fe(0) electrocoagulation (EC) show promise for on-demand industrial and drinking water treatment in engineered systems. This...

Cooking in the developing world generates pollutants that endanger the health of billions of people and contribute to climate change. This study quantified...

Almost half of the world’s population still cooks on biomass cookstoves of poor efficiency and primitive design, such as three stone fires (TSF)....

A recent publication (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2013.11.044) from the Gadgil Lab uncovers how bivalent cations and oxyanions control the structure of Fe(III) precipitates generated from Fe(II)...

Millions of people in rural South Asia are exposed to high levels of arsenic through groundwater used for drinking. Many deployed arsenic remediation...

Abstract: Worldwide, approximately three billion people cook their food using biomass fuels such as wood, charcoal, crop residues, and animal dung. The emissions...

An estimated 60 million low income people in South Asia are affected by chronic exposure to naturally occurring arsenic in drinking water sources....

We demonstrate that electrocoagulation (EC) using iron electrodes can reduce arsenic below 10 μg/L in synthetic Bangladesh groundwater and in real groundwater from...

In Darfur, Sudan, where about 2.7 million people have been displaced from their homes by conflict, the situation is particularly dire. Each day,...

In the developing world, close to 3 billion people cook and heat their homes with biomass fuels such as charcoal.  Typically charcoal burning...

Large scale deployment of carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and sequestration (CCS) has the potential to significantly reduce global CO2 emissions, but this technology...

About 100 million people in Bangladesh and in the nearby Indian state of West Bengal are exposed to very high levels of naturally occurring...

Is intellectual property (IP) inimical to the development and deployment of technologies specific- ally designed for markets with no consumer power, i.e. for...

Understanding the chemical kinetics of arsenic during electrocoagulation (EC) treatment is essential for a deeper understanding of arsenic removal using EC under a...

Electrocoagulation (EC) using iron electrodes is a promising arsenic removal strategy for Bangladesh groundwater drinking supplies. EC is based on the rapid in...

Charcoal cooking accounts for a large portion of Haiti’s energy usage and leads to severe economic and environmental hardships. Several organizations are looking...

Bangladesh and neighboring areas face health threats from drinking arsenic-contaminated groundwater. The challenge is to develop arsenic remediation that is (1) affordable to...

Charcoal cooking accounts for a large portion of Haiti’s energy usage and leads to severe economic and environmental hardships. Several organizations are looking to...

Bangladesh and neighboring areas face large health threats from drinking arsenic- contaminated ground water. Arsenic levels in Bangladesh ground water are typically several...

We describe laboratory and field results of a novel arsenic removal adsorbent called ‘Arsenic Removal Using Bottom Ash’ (ARUBA). ARUBA is prepared by...

Kirchstetter Thomas, Chelsea Preble, Odelle Hadley, and Ashok Gadgil. 2010. Quantification of Black Carbon and Other Pollutant Emissions From a Traditional and an Improved...

In April 2010, a Berkeley-based team visited Haiti on a fact-finding mission. The team encountered a high level of interest in cookstove projects,...

“Design Strategies and Preliminary Prototype for a Low-Cost Arsenic Removal System for Rural Bangladesh.” Mathieu, J.L., A.J. Gadgil, K. Kowolik, S. Qazi, and...

“Design of a rural water provision system to decrease arsenic exposure in Bangladesh.” (January 29, 2009). Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Paper LBNL-1422E. (Availible...

“Electrochemical arsenic remediation for rural Bangladesh.” (January 26, 2009). Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Paper LBNL-1405E. (Availible Online)...

“Electrochemical Remediation of Aresenic Contaminated Groundwater – Results of Prototype Field Tests in Bangladesh,” Journal of Undergraduate Research, 9:88-91 (Download PDF)....

Darfur, one of the poorest regions in Sudan, has been in the midst of a complicated and bloody conflict since 2003 that has resulted...

Darfur, one of the poorest regions in Sudan, has been in the midst of a complicated and bloody conflict since 2003 that has resulted...

“Removing Arsenic from Contaminated Drinking Water in Rural Bangladesh: Recent Fieldwork Results and Policy Implications.” Mathieu, J.L., A.J. Gadgil, K. Kowolik, and S.E.A....

“ElectroChemical Arsenic Removal (ECAR) for Rural Bangladesh – Merging Technology with Implementation.” Proceedings of the UNC Environmental Symposium Safe Drinking Water: Where Science...

Approximately 2.2 million internally displaced persons (“IDPs”) in Darfur are living in dense camps scattered in arid areas with low fuelwood productivity. Unsustainable harvesting...