IIT-KGP Collaborates with Oxford University to Address Global Water Challenge

IIT Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) has collaborated with Oxford University to develop a better understanding of the filtration process of water and to provide solutions to the problems like global water challenge. The collaborative project has been funded by the Global Challenge Research Fund (GCRF-UK), University of Oxford.

The collaboration between the two will mainly focus on addressing arsenic contamination of water for drinking and other everyday purposes. The research will also focus on filtration of other water pollutants as well.

Also Read: Gujarat Govt, IIT Gandhinagar, NASSCOM Sign MoU to Set Up IoT Centre

According to IIT-KGP researchers, Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta has become a global hotspot for arsenic groundwater. The overuse of pesticides and fertilizers is also one of the main reasons for the widespread of the arsenic chemical.

IIT KGP Researcher, Professor Sirshendu De has recently developed an ultra-low-cost technology which acts as an absorbent to filter out arsenic chemical from water. As per his research, filtered water can now be produced at just 2 paisa per litre which makes this technology very ideal for control in a country like India.

To make this technology more effective, a team of mathematicians from Oxford University headed by Dr. Ian Griffiths, further worked on the mathematical modeling techniques which extended the life of the filter and the design of scaled-up filters.

Also Read: MSU signs MoU with IIT Bombay to Impart IT & Communication Training

This collaboratively developed technology to filter arsenic water has been accepted by Public Health Engineering department of the government of West Bengal, West Bengal Arsenic Task Force, Department of Science and Technology, Union Government.