Use of low-enthalpy and waste geothermal energy sources to solve arsenic problems in freshwater production in selected regions of Latin America using a process membrane distillation - Research into model solutions.

The challenge for many communities in Latin America is to find adequate solutions which are feasible given the local economic and technical conditions and which enable them to source water with arsenic concentrations below the WHO guideline value for drinking water (<10 μg/L) of arsenic (As) pollution, suitable for human consumption and the irrigation of crops. Three regions where geothermal fields are present were selected for study out of the several hundred locations in Latin America where the water environment is contaminated with As and where there is a critical water shortage problem. These are Cerro Prieto in Mexico, Momotombo in Nicaragua and Lake Poopó in Bolivia.