Dynamics of Potable Well Water Quality in Key Mining Chiefdoms in Kono District, Eastern Sierra Leone

Groundwater is increasingly being used due to its universal availability and generally good quality. However, the risk of contamination of groundwater due to various human activities such as mining is equally increasing across the globe. In this study, the physical parameters of potable well waters in the key mining areas in Nimikoro and Tankoro Chiefdoms in Kono District were analyzed for compliance with drinking water quality standard. To do this, both unpurged and purged well water samples were collected once every month for a period of one year. Some of the well water properties like temperature, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and Electrical Conductivity (EC) were measured on site and others determined in the laboratory. The data collected from the laboratory analyses were statistically analyzed in MS Excel, SPSS and ArcGIS environments for quality trends in time-space fabric. The results showed that well water quality in the study area generally fell short of drinking water quality standards of Sierra Leone and WHO. There were high temperature and turbidity during the dry season and then high TDS and EC during the rainy season. Temperature and turbidity also significantly influenced well water quality in the study area, much more than TDS and EC. The implications for drinking water of lower quality than the standard could be huge for the local population and therefore needs the attention of stakeholders in the study area and decision makers in the country.

EFFECT OF WATER ON THE CONDUCTIVITY OF PPQ (ClO_4^-) COMPLEX

The preparation of conducting PPQ film was first reported in the previous paper. It is very interesting that this film is highly sensitive to moisture in air. The hydration and dehydration of the film are accompanied by change not only in color but also in conductivity and UV-visible spectrum. The conducting PPQ is reduced to PPQ and loses its conductivity after being soaked in water.

Effect of Irrigation Water Quality on Soil Hydraulic Conductivity

The effect of irrigation water quality on unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (HC) of undisturbed soil in field was studied.Results show that within the operating soil suction range (0-1.6 KPa) of disc permeameters,the higher the electric conductivity (EC) of irrigation water,the higher the soil HC became.The soil HC doubled when EC increased from 0.1 to 6.0ds m^-1.High sodium-adsorption ratio(SAR) of irrigation water would have an unfavorable effect on soil HC.Soil HC decreased with the increasing of SAR,especially in the case of higher soil suction.An interaction existed between the effects of EC and SAR of irrigation water on soil HC.The HC of unsaturated soil dependent upon the macropores in surface soil decreased by one order of magnitude with 1 KPa increase of soil suction.In the study on the effect of very low soluble salt concentration (EC=0.1 ds m^-1 of irrigation water on soil HC,soil HC was found to be lowered by 30% as a consequence of blocking up of some continuous pores by the dispersed and migrated clay particles.Nonlinear successive regression analysis and significance test show that the effects of EC and SAR of irrigation water on soil HC reached the extremely significant level.

Effects of physical properties on electrical conductivity of compacted lateritic soil

Natural soils of various types have different electrical properties due to the composition,structure,water content,and temperature.In order to investigate the electrical properties of lateritic soil,electrical conductivity experiments have been conducted on a self-developed testing device.Test results show that the electrical conductivity of laterite increases with the increase of water content,degree of saturation and dry density.When the water content is below the optimum water content,the electrical conductivity of soils increases nonlinearly and the variation rate increases dramatically.However,when the water content,degree of saturation,or dry density increases to a certain value,the electrical conductivity tends to be a constant.In addition,soil electrical conductivity increases with the increase of temperature,and it is observed that the electrical conductivity decreases with the increase of the number of wetting–drying cycles.

Spatio-temporal variations of soil water content and salinity around individual Tamarix ramosissima in a semi-arid saline region of the upper Yellow River, Northwest China

Ecological restoration by Taman＇x plants on semi-arid saline lands affects the accumulation, distribution patterns and related mechanisms of soil water content and salinity. In this study, spatio-temporal variations of soil water content and salinity around natural individual Tamarix ramosissiraa Ledeb. were invetigated in a semi-arid saline region of the upper Yellow River, Northwest China. Specifically, soil water content, electrical conductivity （EC）, sodium adsorption ratio （SARa）, and salt ions （including Na＋, K＋, Ca2＋, Mg2＋ and 8042-） were measured at different soil depths and at different distances from the trunk of T. ramasissima in May, July, and September 2016. The soil water content at the 20-80 cm depth was significantly lower in July and September than in May, indicating that T. ramosissima plants absorb a large amount of water through the roots during the growing period, leading to the decreasing of soil water content in the deep soil layer. At the 0-20 cm depth, there was a salt island effect around individual T. ramosissima, and the ECe differed significantly inside and outside the canopy of T. ramosissima in May and July. Salt bioaccumulation and stemflow were two major contributing factors to this difference. The SAR at the 0-20 cm depth was significantly different inside and outside the canopy of T. ramosissima in the three sampling months. The values of SAR~ at the 60-80 cm depth in May and July were significantly higher than those at the 0-60 cm depth and higher than that at the corresponding depth in September. The distribution of Na＋ in the soil was similar to that of the SAI, while the concentrations of K＋, Ca2＋, and Mg2＋ showed significant differences among the sampling months and soil depths. Both season and soil depth had highly significant effects on soil water content, ECe and SARa, whereas distance from the trunk of T. ramosissima only significantly affected ECe. Based on these results, we recommend co-planting of shallow-rooted salt-tolerant species near the Tamarx plants and avoiding planting herbaceous plants inside the canopy of T. ramodssima for afforestation in this semi-arid saline region. The results of this study may provide a reference for appropriate restoration in the semi-arid saline regions of the upper Yellow River.

PRIMARY ANALYSIS ON GROUNDWATER,SOIL MOISTURE AND SALINITY IN FUKANG OASIS OF SOUTHERN JUNGGAR BASIN

Soil salinity is the most important factor affecting vegetation distribution,and the secondary salinization has affected the development of oasis agriculture.In arid areas the spatial variation of soil moisture and sa lt content is marked-ly affected by groundwater,irratio nal irrigation in artificial oasis.By analyzing the soil moisture,salt content and groundwa-ter table in different areas of old oasis,new oasis and desert in Fukang Oa sis,it is shown that topography and l and use are main factors affecting the change of groundwater table,the redistribution of soil moisture and salt cont ent.When undis-turbed by human,the groundwater tab le rises from mountain to belt of grou nd water spillage,the groundwater t able rises mightily in plain because of the artificial irrigation,and the secondary salinization of soil is very seriou s.In oasis the ground-water table raises compared with that in the natural desert at the same latitude.In old oasis of upper reaches o f river salt has not been concentrated too much in rhizosphere because this area is the belt of groundwater drainage,soil t exture is coarse,the groundwater table is very low,and the salt in soil is drained i nto the groundwater.The new oasis has been the areas of salt accumulation becau se of the artificial irrigation,the salt content in soil is higher than th at in old oasis,so some cultivated fields here had to be thrown out because of the serious s econdary salinization.

Analysis of Water Stress Prediction Quality as Influenced by the Number and Placement of Temporal Soil-Water Monitoring Sites

In an agricultural field, monitoring the temporal changes in soil conditions can be as important as understanding spatial heterogeneity when it comes to determining the locally-optimized application rates of key agricultural inputs. For example, the monitoring of soil water content is needed to decide on the amount and timing of irrigation. On-the-go soil sensing technology provides a way to rapidly obtain high-resolution, multiple data layers to reveal soil spatial variability, at a relatively low cost. To take advantage of this information, it is important to define the locations, which represent diversified field conditions, in terms of their potential to store and release soil water. Choosing the proper locations and the number of soil monitoring sites is not straightforward. In this project, sensor-based maps of soil apparent electrical conductivity and field elevation were produced for seven agricultural fields in Nebraska, USA. In one of these fields, an eight-node wireless sensor network was used to establish real-time relationships between these maps and the Water Stress Potential (WSP) estimated using soil matric potential measurements. The results were used to model hypothetical WSP maps in the remaining fields. Different placement schemes for temporal soil monitoring sites were evaluated in terms of their ability to predict the hypothetical WSP maps with a different range and magnitude of spatial variability. When a large number of monitoring sites were used, it was shown that the probability for uncertain model predictions was relatively low regardless of the site selection strategy. However, a small number of monitoring sites may be used to reveal the underlying relationship only if these locations are chosen carefully.

Boosting overall saline water splitting by constructing a strain-engineered high-entropy electrocatalyst

High-entropy materials(HEMs),which are newly manufactured compounds that contain five or more metal cations,can be a platform with desired properties,including improved electrocatalytic performance owing to the inherent complexity.Here,a strain engineering methodology is proposed to design transition-metal-based HEM by Li manipulation(LiTM)with tunable lattice strain,thus tailoring the electronic structure and boosting electrocatalytic performance.As confirmed by the experiments and calculation results,tensile strain in the LiTM after Li manipulation can optimize the d-band center and increase the electrical conductivity.Accordingly,the asprepared LiTM-25 demonstrates optimized oxygen evolution reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction activity in alkaline saline water,requiring ultralow overpotentials of 265 and 42 mV at 10 mA cm−2,respectively.More strikingly,LiTM-25 retains 94.6%activity after 80 h of a durability test when assembled as an anion-exchange membrane water electrolyzer.Finally,in order to show the general efficacy of strain engineering,we incorporate Li into electrocatalysts with higher entropies as well.

Partial dehydration of brucite and its implications for water distribution in the subducting oceanic slab

Hydrous minerals within the subducting oceanic slab are important hosts for water.Clarification of the stability field of hydrous minerals helps to understand transport and distribution of water from the surface to the Earth’s interior.We investigated the stability of brucite,a prototype of hydrous minerals,by means of electrical conductivity measurements in both open and closed systems at 3 GPa and temperatures up to 1300 K.Dramatic increase of conductivity in association with characteristic impedance spectra suggests that partial dehydration of single-crystal brucite in the open system with a low water fugacity occurs at 950 K,which is about 300 K lower than those previously defined by phase equilibrium experiments in the closed system.By contrast,brucite completely dehydrates at 1300 K in the closed system,consistent with previous studies.Partial dehydration may generate a highly defective structure but does not lead to the breakdown of brucite to periclase and water immediately.Water activity plays a key role in the stability of hydrous minerals.Low water activity(a H_(2)O)caused by the high wetting behavior of the subducted oceanic slab at the transition zone depth may cause the partial dehydration of the dense hydrous magnesium silicates(DHMSs),which significantly reduces the temperature stability of DHMS(this mechanism has been confirmed by previous study on super hydrous phase B).As a result,the transition zone may serve as a‘dead zone’for DHMSs,and most water will be stored in wadsleyite and ringwoodite in the transition zone.

Research of Water Response under the Action of the Infrared Human Body Radiation by Water Conductometric Sensors

Non-equilibrium thermal and biothermal radiation generated by heated solid materials and hematothermal living organisms are studied by water conductometric sensors. Engineering aspects and physical features of developed water conductometric sensors are given. Procedure and measuring technique are described. Our experiments show the anomalous behavior of water conductivity and associated differential parameters under water heating by biological objects compared with traditional heating sources. Water response to human action strongly depends on psychophysiological and psychoemotional state of the person. Moreover the responses to the action by left and right human hands are substantially different and as a rule are specific to the gender. The possible physicochemical mechanisms of such anomalous water behavior are studied. It is suggested that the observed effects are associated with resonant excitation of vibration-rotation energy levels of water under the influence of bioradiation generated by human organism consisting of approximately 70% water. The results obtained have good perspectives for future applications in different fields of human activity.

Influence of CO_2 Doubling on Water Transport Process at Root/Soil Interface of Pinus sylvestris var. sylvestriformis Seedlings

Water transport at the root/soil interface of 1 year old Pinus sylvestris Linn. var. sylvestriformis (Takenouchi) Cheng et C. D. Chu seedlings under CO 2 doubling was studied by measuring soil electric conductance to survey soil water profiles and comparing it with root distribution surveyed by soil coring and root harvesting in Changbai Mountain in 1999. The results were: (1) The profiles of soil water content were adjusted by root activity. The water content of the soil layer with abundant roots was higher. (2) When CO 2 concentration was doubled, water transport was more active at the root/soil interface and the roots were distributed into deeper layer. It was shown in this work that the method of measuring electric conductance is an inexpensive, non_destructive and relatively sensitive way for underground water transport process.

Effects of Drip System Uniformity and Irrigation Amount on Water and Salt Distributions in Soil Under Arid Conditions

The dynamics of water and salt in soil were monitored in the 2010 and 2011 growing seasons of cotton to evaluate the salinity risk of soil under drip irrigation in arid environments for different management practices of drip system uniformity and irrigation amount. In the experiments, three Christiansen uniformity coefficients （CU） of approximately 65, 80, and 95% （referred to as low, medium, and high uniformity, respectively） and three irrigation amounts of 50, 75, and 100% of full irrigation were used. The distribution of the soil water content and bulk electrical conductivity （ECb） was monitored continuously with approximately equally spaced frequency domain reflectometry （FDR） sensors located along a dripline. Gravimetric samples of soil were collected regularly to determine the distribution of soil salinity. A great fluctuation in CU of water content and ECb at 60 cm depth was observed for the low uniformity treatment during the irrigation season, while a relatively stable variation pattern was observed for the high uniformity treatment. The ECb CU was substantially lower than the water content CU and its value was greatly related to the water content CU and the initial ECb CU. The spatial variation of seasonal mean soil water content and seasonal mean soil bulk electrical conductivity showed a high dependence on the variation pattern of emitter discharge rate along a dripline for the low and medium uniformity treatments. A greater irrigation amount produced a significantly lower soil salinity at the end of the irrigation season, while the influence of the system uniformity on the soil salinity was insignificant at a probability level of 0.1. In arid regions, the determination of the target drip irrigation system uniformity should consider the potential salinity risk of soil caused by nonuniform water application as the influence of the system uniformity on the distribution of the soil salinity was progressively strengthened during the growing season of crop.

Effect of Saline Water Application through Different Irrigation Intervals on Tomato Yield and Soil Properties

A field study was conducted on the experimental farm of ministry of agriculture, located at Palestine Technical University-Kadoorie, to investigate the effects of saline water irrigation through three irrigation intervals on yield of tomato crop and soil properties. The land was prepared and divided into 12 treatments, each of 48 square meters on the first of April. Tomato seedlings were planted on 25 April 2010;the seedlings were irrigated with fresh water for a period of 10 days after planting. Three levels of saline water irrigation (3, 5, 7 dS/m) plus fresh water as control were applied during the growing season. The four irrigation water treatments were applied through three irrigation intervals (every day, every second day and every three days). Gravimetric soil moisture content and soil electrical conductivity were monitored every two weeks during the growing period. Yield measurements were taken for total fruit yield, marketable yield as a percent of total yield, and average fruit weight of each treatment. Results of this study indicated that, plant treatments irrigated with saline water gave the highest yield for treatments irrigated every day compared to the treatments irrigated every second day and every three days. Statistical analysis showed significant differences in yield reduction between every second day and every three days irrigation intervals under 5 and 7 dS/m saline irrigation levels, while there was no significant difference between irrigation intervals under 3 dS/m salinity level.

Development and Optimization of an Alternative Methodology for Detection of Milk Adulteration by Water

This paper presents a process which allows the determination of milk adulteration by water. Considering the limitations of the reference method （cryoscopy）, the proposed methodology matches electrical conductivity and cryoscopy index measurements. Based on statistical procedures, a linear descriptive model is achieved to quantify adulteration of milk with water. It is also shown that electrical conductivity measurements allow the detection of adulteration with water and sodium chloride.

A Study of Physico-Chemical Parameters of Newaj River Water in Rajgarh District, Madhya Pradesh

Present paper deals with the study of some physico-chemical parameters in Newaj River Water in Rajgarh District, Madhya Pradesh in the month of November and December 2008.The parameters like temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, turbidity, total hardness, Ca- hardness, Mg-hardness and chloride were determined. The results were compared with standards of IS： 10500 and WHO. From the results it was found that the most of the parameters of Newaj River water were within the permissible limit.

Morphophysiology of Germination among Seeds of Pau-rainha （Centrolobium paraense） Collected in the State of Roraima

This work intended to characterize the seed morphology, water absorption patterns and to determine the vigor among different colored seeds of the species Centrolobium paraense （Fabaceae）. For this purpose, samaras which were opened were collected from two sites---Agua Boa （AB） and Taiano （TAI） lo^ated in the state of Roraima, and the seeds screened by the coat coloration （light brown/intermediate brown/dark brown） for four conditions （two sites and two years of collection）. Evaluation of water absorption by the seeds at different periods, mass of 1,000 seeds, water content, electrical conductivity （EC）, seedling emergence and emergence velocity （EV） were performed. The water absorption by the seeds of Centrolobium paraense indicates coat permeability to water and distinct absorptions according to coat colorations. The EC test is efficient in determining the physiological quality of seeds of Centrolobium paraense. Seed coat coloration affects the physiological quality of the seeds of Centrolobium paraense. It is possible to distinguish the seeds of AB and TAI into two degrees of physiological quality, the light brown-colored seeds being more vigorous.

Assessing Quality of Reclaimed Urban Wastewater from Algarrobo Municipality to Be Used for Irrigation

In the European Mediterranean area, the lack of available water resources had led to consider the reclaimed urban waters as an integral part of water resources. Reclaimed urban waters could mitigate water shortage, support agriculture sector and protect rivers and groundwater resources. This work is focused on the evaluation of reclaimed urban water (RW) from Algarrobo municipality, which is located in the Málaga province in the Mediterranean coast at South-East of Spain. Wastewater in the municipal waste water treatment plant, was treated by a membrane bioreactor (MBR) as a tertiary treatment. The main goal of this work was to determine the composition of RW to be compared with fresh local water (LW) from the Algarrobo River, in order to evaluate its suitability for irrigation. Electrical conductivity (EC), pH, sodium absorption ratio (SAR), and mineral content were weekly measured from September 2017 until June 2018. Assessment of RW quality was carried out considering the limit values for each parameter as stated by the current Spanish legislation RD 1620/2007 for reuse of reclaimed water and European Directive for water reuse (EU 91/271/EEC, Annex I). The MBR facility was also focused on preserving essential minerals for plant nutrition to use them for crop fertilization instead of commercial fertilizers. The average content of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium were, respectively, 72%, 65% and 46% of the amount needed for the Hoagland 1/4 strength solution that was used in this study for irrigation of tomato, avocado and mango crops. From this study it appears that it is possible using membrane technology, to treat urban wastewater in order to supply a good quality of water for irrigation. Water analysis has also proved MBR to be efficient for removal of microbiological pollutants, inorganic compounds, some trace elements and heavy metals. The assessment of RW shows that the evaluated parameters of water-quality are within the range of values stated by Spanish legislation and the current European Directive for secure use of reclaimed water for irrigation.

模袋护坡工程GPR检测机理和应用研究

GPR技术近年来在许多领域得到了广泛应用,但公路工程在道路脱空探测时对于充水型脱空无法检测,且从未在模袋护坡工程检测中应用。鉴于此,通过室内模型试验,研究了模袋含水率对波速和相对介电常数的影响,并分析了电磁波波长在模袋中的变化情况;通过水池模型试验,在不同电导率的水中对电磁波波速、波长、衰减常数和趋肤深度进行了研究分析。结果表明:模袋护坡工程探测时,应尽量选择高频天线,以提高钢筋分辨率,且重点考虑模袋含水率的影响,选取准确的相对介电常数,准确计算钢筋位置。充水型脱空探测时,应重点考虑水中电磁波的衰减,高频段衰减程度取决于水的电导率。当水的电导率不大于0.1 s/m时,高频段天线均可探测到脱空层底部;当水的电导率大于0.1 s/m和小于1 s/m时,高频段天线均识别困难;当电导率达到1 s/m时,高频段的所有频率均无法识别。

咸淡水组合灌溉对土壤盐分和棉花生长的影响

为揭示不同微咸水(农田排水)与淡水在“先咸后淡”的组合灌溉模式下对土壤容重、盐分迁移和棉花生长的影响。以淡水灌溉为对照(CK),设置7种不同微咸水、淡水组合灌溉(微咸水∶淡水=1∶14(T1)、2∶13(T2)、3∶12(T3)、6∶9(T4)、9∶6(T5)、12∶3(T6)),T7处理采用全额微咸水灌溉,于2022年4-9月进行了棉花田间试验。结果表明,采用微咸水灌溉造成土壤表层盐分积累,0~40 cm土层出现积盐现象,棉花生育期结束后,各处理与淡水对照(CK)比较,T1~T6在0~40 cm土层的电导率分别增加1.16%~26.61%,T7处理电导率增加86.40%;与淡水对照相比,组合灌溉后各处理土层0~40 cm土壤容重明显增加,土壤孔隙度降低,以全额微咸水灌溉T7处理最为显著(容重增加10.24%);微咸水组合灌溉有效提高棉花株高、叶面积指数、茎粗。合理利用微咸水组合灌溉能够为棉花生长提供良好的水盐环境,提高棉花产量,能够为极端干旱区合理利用微咸水提供一种新的灌水模式,为灌区发展节水灌溉及农业可持续发展提供理论支撑。

板集煤矿导水裂隙带发育高度研究

板集煤矿110504工作面平均煤层厚度6.1m,属于厚煤层开采,上覆平均厚度约1.6m和75m处存在含水层,矿井安全生产受顶板含水层威胁严重,亟需开展导水裂隙带发育高度研究。本文开展数值模拟研究了覆岩裂隙演化规律,通过运用UDEC 7.0软件建立开采模型描述工作面推进过程中的导水裂隙带演化规律,得出工作面推进至50m时直接顶开始垮落,推进至70m时直接顶完全垮落、基本顶部分垮落,推进至140m时形成了明显的垮落带和裂缝带区域,推进至190 m时导水裂隙带高度达到最大值66 m,垮落带高度23 m,裂缝带高度43 m;开展了电法测试,运用网络并行电法在110504工作面轨道顺槽内进行现场实测,得出工作面应力超前影响距最大为58 m,裂缝角为69.62°,导水裂隙带最大高度73 m,垮落带高度27m,裂缝带高度46m。数值模拟结果与电法测试结果基本一致,研究成果对相似地质条件下的导水裂隙带高度研究具有重要意义。