Arsenic Removal Technologies: Mapping Global Research Activities (1970-2019)

Abstract

Arsenic contamination in drinking water poses worldwide threat to public health and requires emergency actions in some parts of the world. Several technologies have been used to overcome arsenic contamination issues and to meet the arsenic concentration limitations for public health. In this study, research tendencies on arsenic removal technologies were evaluated. A total of 4083 publications, published between 1970 and 2019, on arsenic removal from drinking water, groundwater and wastewater were retrieved from Web of Science (WoS) database. A bibliometric analysis was carried out and word frequency along with visualization map analysis were used to provide a quantitative analysis, and an overview on the current research trends and research prospects. The results showed that annual output of the “arsenic removal” subject increased significantly after the year 2000. “Article” was the most preferable publication type, and “Journal of Hazardous Materials” had the highest publication number. The most productive country in terms of number of total articles on arsenic removal was China. Also, the South-East Asian countries highly contributed to the literature. “Adsorption” was found to be the most frequently researched arsenic removal technology and nanotechnology plays a significant role in the adsorption development.