Distribution and assessment of hydrogeochemical processes of F-rich groundwater using PCA model:a case study in the Yuncheng Basin,China

Hydrogeochemistry and factor analysis were conducted together to assess the distribution and the major geochemical processes in fluoride-contaminated shallow groundwater in the Yuncheng Basin.Spatially,fluoride concentration was low(<1.5 mg/L)in the southern piedmont plain,medium(<4 mg/L)in the central basin,and high(up to 14.1 mg/L)in Kaolao lowland areas in shallow aquifers.A three-factor principal component analysis model explained over 75.1%of the total variance.Sediment weathering leaching and evapotranspiration were recognized as the first primary hydrochemical processes response for the groundwater chemistry and explained the largest portion(42.1%)of the total variance.Factor two reflects the negative influence of human activities,with a positive loading of NO3^-and HCO3^-,and negative loading of well depth.Fluoride-bearing mineral dissolution and alkaline condition was ranked as the third factors responding for groundwater chemistry and explained 11.2%of the total variance.

Potentially harmful metals,and health risk evaluation in groundwater of Mardan,Pakistan:Application of geostatistical approach and geographic information system

This study investigates the values of pH,total dissolved solids(TDS),elevation,oxidative reduction potential(ORP),temperature,and depth,while the concentrations of Br,and potentially harmful metals(PHMs)such as Cr,Ni,Cd,Mn,Cu,Pb,Co,Zn,and Fe in the groundwater samples.Moreover,geographic information system(GIS),XLSTAT,and IBM SPSS Statistics 20 software were used for spatial distribution modeling,principal component analysis(PCA),cluster analysis(CA),and Quantile-Quantile(Q-Q)plotting to determine groundwater pollution sources,similarity index,and normal distribution reference line for the selected parameters.The mean values of pH,TDS,elevation,ORP,temperature,depth,and Br were 7.2,322 mg/L,364 m,188 mV,29.6℃,70 m,0.20 mg/L,and PHMs like Cr,Ni,Cd,Mn,Cu,Pb,Co,Zn,and Fe were 0.38,0.26,0.08,0.27,0.36,0.22,0.04,0.43 and 0.86 mg/L,respectively.PHMs including Cr(89%),Cd(43%),Mn(23%),Pb(79%),Co(20%),and Fe(91%)exceeded the guideline values set by the world health organization(WHO).The significant R^(2)values of PCA for selected parameters were also determined(0.62,0.67,0.78,0.73,0.60,0.87,-0.50,0.69,0.70,0.74,-0.50,0.70,0.67,0.79,0.59,and-0.55,respectively).PCA revealed three geochemical processes such as geogenic,anthropogenic,and reducing conditions.The mineral phases of Cd(OH)_(2),Fe(OH)_(3),FeOOH,Mn_(3)O_(4),Fe_(2)O_(3),MnOOH,Pb(OH)_(2),Mn(OH)_(2),MnO_(2),and Zn(OH)_(2)(-3.7,3.75,9.7,-5.8,8.9,-3.6,2.2,-4.6,-7.7,-0.9,and 0.003,respectively)showed super-saturation and under-saturation conditions.Health risk assessment(HRA)values for PHMs were also calculated and the values of hazard quotient(HQ),and hazard indices(HI)for the entire study area were increased in the following order:Cd>Ni>Cu>Pb>Mn>Zn>Cr.Relatively higher HQ and HI values of Ni,Cd,Pb,and Cu were greater than one showing unsuitability of groundwater for domestic,agriculture,and drinking purposes.The long-term ingestion of groundwater could also cause severe health concerns such as kidney,brain dysfunction,liver,stomach problems,and even cancer.

Leaching Behavior of Trace Elements in Coal Spoils from Yangquan Coal Mine, Northern China

The long-term dumping of coal waste piles has caused serious environmental problems. Release of trace elements（including rare earth elements, REEs） from coal spoils gobs was investigated at Yangquan coal mine, Shanxi Province, China. X-ray diffraction（XRD） was used to analyze the mineral composition of the coal spoils. The minerals of the coal-spoil samples are mainly kaolinite and quartz, with a minor proportion of pyrite. The batch and column tests were employed to simulate the leaching behavior of trace elements from coal spoils. Elements V, Cr, Zn, As, Pb, and Cd are highly enriched in all coal spoils. The coal spoils also have elevated levels of Ga, Ge, Se, Sn, Hf, and Th. The leachate of coal spoils, fried coal spoils and CSFGM（coal spoils fire gas mineral） samples are acidic, with the p H values ranging between 3.0 and 6.6. The released elements with high concentrations（over 100 μg/L） include Fe, Mn, Co, Ni and Zn, while moderately-released elements are Cu, Se, Mo and As. A high content of heavy metals in batch-test leachate with CSFGM indicates an increased mobility of heavy metals in coal spoil combustion byproduct. Within the first hour washing with the electrolyte solution, a rapid rise of common cations, trace elements, and REEs content, as well as a drop of p H value, in effluent was observed. An increased leaching velocity favors the release of trace elements from coal spoils. In addition, the pulse input of precipitation led to more elements to be released than continuous leaching.