Research projects

Did you know that AGAPE e.V. is a very special association?

AGAPE seeks not only to help the poor, but also to find long-term and sustainable solutions to problems. That is why the organisation regularly collaborates with universities to initiate projects. Our aim is to enable the development or testing of technical solutions that can subsequently be manufactured or implemented within the country itself. These collaborations naturally incur costs, which are exclusively for material resources (primarily chemical analyses and travel expenses), but not for scientific staff. We use only earmarked donations for this purpose and make our infrastructure available in the project countries. If you would like your donation to be used for this purpose, please mark it as ‘Research and Development’.

1000 houshold filters

The project ‘1,000 Household Filters for Rural Areas in North-East Bangladesh’ was funded by the Schmitz Foundations through the Small Projects Fund of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. It is the follow-up project to SWAPNO, which is also described here. The aim was to increase the number of filters by a further 1,000 and to establish a sustainable system for their upkeep and maintenance.

SWAPNO-Project

SWAPNO means ‘dream’ in Bengali and stands for ‘Safe Water – Advances in Purification Options’ (Clean water through purification systems – practical, sustainable and innovative). SWAPNO is an international, interdisciplinary research project. The aim of the project is to develop a domestic filtration system capable of removing arsenic, whilst also taking into account microbial, economic and ecological sustainability aspects. Among other things, the study will investigate how and how often the filters need to be cleaned, as well as other water and hygiene-related aspects. AGAPE is supporting the study as a local project partner.

SEZ-Project Qualified well construction

In the search for arsenic-free water, wells in Bangladesh are often drilled unnecessarily deep—up to 300 meters or more. Decisions regarding the appropriate depth of wells are frequently based on the experience of unqualified drilling companies and the lack of information about local arsenic contamination. With this project—funded by the Stiftung Entwicklungszusammenarbeit (SEZ) with state funds from Baden-Württemberg—we aimed to identify simple tools for assessing groundwater quality prior to drilling and for developing more sustainable water sources.

Electrocoagulation for water treatment

Electrocoagulation is a simple and resource-efficient electrochemical process for removing arsenic and other heavy metals and metals from water. As part of a master's thesis in cooperation with the University of Heidelberg, the process was intensively examined and tested for use in the treatment of small and large volumes of water. Results show that only very small amounts of electricity are needed to remove arsenic, iron, manganese, phosphorus and zinc quickly and reliably. In the future, the process is to be used in Bangladesh and we are examining other areas of application.

Applied research to eliminate arsenic from drinking water

Changes in sea water levels affect water quality in many areas of the world and thus also the available freshwater resources. Arsenic-laden and increasingly saline groundwater - in contrast to microbially contaminated surface water - poses a particular challenge that also requires intensive consideration of the social environment of those affected.

Process studies on natural and anthropogenic causes of arsenic mobilization

According to the United Nations (UN), clean water is one of the human rights, which is why access to safe drinking water is a central goal of sustainable development (Agenda 2030). The implementation of this human right continues to be a global challenge, as drinking water is polluted in many parts of the world.

Project Overview: Research and Development

Here you will find, in chronological order, the projects that we have carried out in recent years together with various institutions and partners, as well as projects that these partners have implemented with their own resources in support of our important work.

2026 to 2028: Biogeochemical Insights into Arsenic Mobilization in Groundwater of Rural Bangladesh: The Role of Methane and Ammonium. To investigate the underlying processes, a total of 18 wells will be drilled and sampled in depth-resolved intervals over several months and seasons, meaning that water will be collected from 10 different depths at each site. Comprehensive chemical analyses will be conducted to identify parameters that correlate with arsenic concentrations in groundwater and to support the development of further drinking water strategies. The project is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). More information can also be found on the project page of Heidelberg University.
2024 to 2025: 1000 Arsenic Filters: This project builds on the SWAPNO project. The scientific component of this project primarily focuses on the maintenance and disinfection of the filters, as well as the regeneration of the arsenic adsorber. Through the project, it was possible to increase the number of filters to 2,000 units through user contributions. The project was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the Small Projects Fund administered by the Schmitz Foundations.

If you would like to explore additional research projects, please click on "Read More".

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