Groundwater Pollution from Underground Coal Gasification

In situ coal gasification poses a potential environmental risk to groundwater pollution although it depends mainly on local hydrogeological conditions. In our investigation,the possible processes of groundwater pollution origi-nating from underground coal gasification (UCG) were analyzed. Typical pollutants were identified and pollution con-trol measures are proposed. Groundwater pollution is caused by the diffusion and penetration of contaminants generated by underground gasification processes towards surrounding strata and the possible leaching of underground residue by natural groundwater flow after gasification. Typical organic pollutants include phenols,benzene,minor components such as PAHs and heterocyclics. Inorganic pollutants involve cations and anions. The natural groundwater flow after gasification through the seam is attributable to the migration of contaminants,which can be predicted by mathematical modeling. The extent and concentration of the groundwater pollution plume depend primarily on groundwater flow ve-locity,the degree of dispersion and the adsorption and reactions of the various contaminants. The adsorption function of coal and surrounding strata make a big contribution to the decrease of the contaminants over time and with the distance from the burn cavity. Possible pollution control measures regarding UCG include identifying a permanently,unsuitable zone,setting a hydraulic barrier and pumping contaminated water out for surface disposal. Mitigation measures during gasification processes and groundwater remediation after gasification are also proposed.

Research on mechanism of groundwater pollution from mine water in abandoned mines

In order to understand the mechanism and regularity of the groundwater contamination from mine water of abandoned mines, experiments were conducted on an abandoned coal mine in Fuxin, a representative city with lots of mine water in northeast China. The groundwater pollution from different contaminants of coal-mining voids （total hardness, SO4^2-, CI^- and total Fe） and pollution factors transportation situation in the coal rock were simulated by soil column experiment under the conditions of mine water leaching and main water leaching （similar to rainwater leaching）, and the water-rock interaction mechanism was discussed during mine water infiltration through saturated coal rock by application of principle of mass conservation, based on physical properties of coal rock, as well as monitored chemical composition. The results show that, compared with the clear water leaching process, trends of change in pollutant concentrations presented different characteristics in the mine water leaching process. Groundwater is contaminated by the water rock interactions such as migration ＆ accumulation, adsorption ＆ transformation, dissolution ＆ desorption and ion exchange during the mine water permeation. The experiments also suggest that at first dissolution rate of some kinds of dissoluble salts is high, but it decreases with leaching time, even to zero during both the mine water leaching and main water leaching.

Potential Groundwater Pollution Risks by Heavy Metals from Agricultural Soil in Songon Area(Abidjan,Cote d’Ivoire)

The soil samples were collected taking into account the land use in Songon area. The hydraulic conductivity (K) of soils was characterized in-situ when specific yield (Sy), pHw and concentrations of Cooper, Iron, Zinc, Cadmium, Chromium and Lead were measured in the laboratory. Pollution load indices (PLI) were calculated to evaluate the soil contamination levels. The soils were neutral and alkaline (6.7≤ pH ≤ 9.20), permeable (1.9 í 10-5?m·s-1?≤ K ≤ 8.2 í 10-4?m·s-1), with a high specific yield (13.33% ≤ Sy ≤ 33.33%) which can favor the pollutants transfer. The heavy metals (Fe, Cu, Zn, Cd, Cr and Pb) have very high concentrations in soils. The integrated pollution indices (PLI) indicate that almost 70% of Songon soils are moderately contaminated by the investigated heavy metals, with windows presenting high indices of pollution related to the intensive use of fertilizers and pesticides. The establishment of new boreholes in the Songon area should consider these heavy metals, so as to avoid the risk of groundwater pollution due to the physical properties of soils.

A Modified Comprehensive Evaluation System of Groundwater Pollution Based on Fuzzy Set Theory

A modified comprehensive evaluation system of groundwater pollution based on Fuzzy set theory is introduced.In this evaluation system,a five-degree membership function and a comprehensive weight function are built by combining Delphi method with double weight method.By studying a typical engineering project,the features and advantages of the modified evaluation system are analyzed by comparing to the popular simple comparison method.This indicates that the weighted average model is applicable in the situation that the content of every evaluation factor is even and the evaluation aim is to externalize the contribution of every evaluation factor in groundwater environmental quality.

Identification of Unknown Groundwater Pollution Sources and Determination of Optimal Well Locations Using ANN-GA Based Simulation-Optimization Model

The linked simulation-optimization model can be used for solving a complex groundwater pollution source identification problem. Advanced simulators have been developed and successfully linked with numerous optimization algorithms for identification of groundwater pollution sources. However, the identification of pollution sources in a groundwater aquifer using linked simulation-optimization model has proven to be computationally expensive. To overcome this computational burden, an approximate simulator, the artificial neural network (ANN) model can be used as a surrogate model to replace the complex time-consuming numerical simulation model. However, for large-scale aquifer system, the performance of the ANN-based surrogate model is not satisfactory when a single ANN model is used to predict the concentration at different observation locations. In such a situation, the model efficiency can be enhanced by developing separate ANN model for each of the observation locations. The number of ANN models is equal to the number of observation wells in the aquifer. As a result, the complexity of the ANN-based simulation-optimization model will be related to the number of observation wells. Thus, this study used a modified formulation to find out the optimal numbers of observation wells which will eventually reduce the computational time of the model. The performance of the ANN-based simulation-optimization model is evaluated by identifying the groundwater pollutant sources of a hypothetical study area. The limited evaluation shows that the model has the potential for field application.

Pollution source identification methods and remediation technologies of groundwater: A review

Groundwater is an important source of drinking water.Groundwater pollution severely endangers drinking water safety and sustainable social development.In the case of groundwater pollution,the top priority is to identify pollution sources,and accurate information on pollution sources is the premise of efficient remediation.Then,an appropriate pollution remediation scheme should be developed according to information on pollution sources,site conditions,and economic costs.The methods for identifying pollution sources mainly include geophysical exploration,geochemistry,isotopic tracing,and numerical modeling.Among these identification methods,only the numerical modeling can recognize various information on pollution sources,while other methods can only identify a certain aspect of pollution sources.The remediation technologies of groundwater can be divided into in-situ and ex-situ remediation technologies according to the remediation location.The in-situ remediation technologies enjoy low costs and a wide remediation range,but their remediation performance is prone to be affected by environmental conditions and cause secondary pollution.The ex-situ remediation technologies boast high remediation efficiency,high processing capacity,and high treatment concentration but suffer high costs.Different methods for pollution source identification and remediation technologies are applicable to different conditions.To achieve the expected identification and remediation results,it is feasible to combine several methods and technologies according to the actual hydrogeological conditions of contaminated sites and the nature of pollutants.Additionally,detailed knowledge about the hydrogeological conditions and stratigraphic structure of the contaminated site is the basis of all work regardless of the adopted identification methods or remediation technologies.

Human Health Risk Assessment Model of Organic Pollution in Groundwater:Shijiazhuang Industrial Zone

In this study, a risk-based management model is developed and applied to an industrial zone. The models proposed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and Han Bing have been improved by adding a residual ratio of volatile organic compounds （VOC） after boiling and deleting the related parameters in half-life. Using this improved model, an integrated process was used to assess human health risk level in the study area. Compared with water quality analysis, the results highlight the importance of applying an integrated approach for decision making on risk levels and water protection. The results of this study demonstrated that： （1） Compared with these permissible level standards in China （GB 3838-2002） and National Primary Drinking Water Regulations of the United States, the residents＇ daily life had not been affected by the groundwater in this area （except for relative bad water quality of HB3-4 and HB3-6）; （2） The typical detected organic contaminants of all groundwater samples were chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethene, and the pollution sources were mainly industrial sources by preliminary investigations; （3） As for groundwater, the non-carcinogenic risk values of all samples do not exceed the permissible level of 1.0 and the carcinogenic risk values are relatively lower than the permissible level of 1.00E-06 to 1.00E-04; （4） Drinking water pathway of trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene mainly contribute to increasing the health risk of residents＇ in study areas; （5） In terms of non-carcinogenic risk and carcinogenic risk, the health risk order for drinking water pathway and dermal contact pathway was： drinking water pathway 〉 dermal contact pathway.

Dynamic assessment of pollution risk of groundwater source area in Northern China

Based on the dynamic analysis and research of pollution risk of groundwater sources, this paper creates the dynamic assessment method of pollution risk of groundwater source area under the theory of "source-pathway-receptor", and applies this method to one typical fissure karst groundwater source area in northern China. Following the 30-year petroleum pollutant migration simulation and pollution risk assessment of groundwater source area, this study finds that the very high risk zone is mainly located in Q Petrochemical Company and the surrounding area and the area adjacent to River Z. Within this period of thirty years, the pollution risk of groundwater source area has showed a dynamic trend that features an inverted "V" shape. The ratio of very high risk zone to the total area will be 18.1%, 17.47% and 16.62% during the tenth year, the twentieth year and the thirtieth year separately, and will reach the highest level of 19.45% during the fifteenth year. Meanwhile, the vertical migration distance of pollutant centre concentration changed from the surface soil at the outset to the deepest point of about 250 meters underground during the tenth year. The results of this risk assessment indicate the dynamic feature of pollution risk. The dilution, degradation and migration of petroleum pollutants in groundwater system contribute to an ultimate decline in pollution risk.

Water Quality Evaluation and Analysis on the Causes of Pollution for Groundwater Sources in Yantai, China

Based on the investigation for the 14 groundwater sources, the water quality of the groundwater sources had been analyzed, using the evaluation method of the combination of inorganic and organic index instead of the traditional method which was only based on inorganic index. The results showed that the quality of 12 groundwater sources satisfied class III standard of groundwater quality and other two exceeded class III standard. There were one groundwater source, whose water quality reached class 1 standard, and five groundwater sources, whose water quality reached class II standard. There were seven groundwater sources, in which the fluorine, an organic pollutant, was detected. The results showed that the groundwater resources in Yantai City were less polluted and the main pollutant in groundwater was nitrate. According to the analytical data and the environmental conditions of groundwater sources, the conclusion was drawn that the agriculture and rural non-point pollution were the main reasons of groundwater pollution.

Fuzzy pattern recognition method for assessing groundwater vulnerability to pollution in the Zhangji area

Based on the widely used DRASTIC method, a fuzzy pattern recognition and optimization method was proposed and applied to the fissured-karstic aquifer of Zhangji area for assessing groundwater vulnerability to pollution. The result is compared with DRASTIC method. It is shown that by taking the fuzziness into consideration, the fuzzy pattern recognition and optimization method reflects more efficiently the fuzzy nature of the groundwater vulnerability to pollution and is more applicable in reality.

Evaluation of groundwater quality using pollution index of groundwater(PIG) and non-carcinogenic health risk assessment in part of the Gangetic Basin

The aim of this study was to evaluate groundwater fitness for domestic and irrigational use in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh,India.For this study,block wise(n=16)groundwater samples were collected,and measured parameters were analyzed using the pollution index of groundwater(PIG),various irrigational indices,and graphical techniques.The results of this study suggested that most of the parameters were within the prescribed limits of WHO and BIS,excluding F-(0.4 to 2.6 mg L^(-1))and Fe^(2+)(0.1 to 1.7 mg L^(-1)).Concentrations of total dissolved solids(TDS)were exceeded the desirable limit(>500 mg L^(-1))in 43.75%of samples at some sites.The Gibbs plot revealed that groundwater chemistry was governed by rock-water interaction in the region,especially silicate weathering.The Piper plot suggested that Ca^(2+)-HCO3-is dominant hydrochemical facies in the area followed by mixed Ca^(2+)-Na^(+)-HCO_(3)^(-)type,Na^(+)-Cl^(-)type,and Na^(+)-HCO_(3)^(-)type.PIG evaluation revealed that the contribution of F-and Fe2+in groundwater degradation is high in comparison to other elements in the region,about 18.75%samples showed low pollution,while about 6.25%samples shows moderate pollution,and 6.25%samples reflected high pollution.The human health risk(HHR)assessment finding suggested that children(mean:1.36)are more vulnerable than adults(mean:1.01).Sodium absorption ration(SAR),Residual sodium carbonate(RSC),and Permeability index(PI)indicated that most of the groundwater was suitable for irrigation,whereas,Magnesium hazard ration(MHR)and Potential salinity(PS)indices suggested that only 37.5%and 56.25%of the samples were suitable for irrigational use,respectively.This regional study would help in decision making for stakeholders and relevant authorities in the execution of groundwater management and remediation plans in the area.

Petroleum Pollution of Groundwater in Zibo and Its Prevention Measures

The source of ground water supply in Dawu is an extremely huge one in Shandong province. Now it is faced with serious pollution of petroleum in Hougao area. Aiming at this problem, the petroleum pollution in aeration zone and in groundwater was analyzed. The result shows that the contaminant of groundwater comes from the leaching of petroleum in the soil horizon of aeration zone through precipitation, and the quick flow of groundwater makes the convection dominate themigration of contaminant. So movement of groundwater controls the distribution of petroleum contaminant, which is consistent with the direction of ground flow. Building a groundwater closure zone in Hougao is an effective method to stop the contaminated groundwater flowing toward the water supply source of Dawu. The petroleum contaminant can be effectively reduced through using the aeration, biological and oxidation technologies.

Study of diclofenac removal by the application of combined zero-valent iron and calcium peroxide nanoparticles in groundwater

Diclofenac(DCF)is one of the most frequently detected pharmaceuticals in groundwater,posing a great threat to the environment and human health due to its toxicity.To mitigate the DCF contamination,experiments on DCF degradation by the combined process of zero-valent iron nanoparticles(nZVI)and nano calcium peroxide(nCaO_(2))were performed.A batch experiment was conducted to examine the influence of the adding dosages of both nZVI and nCaO_(2)nanoparticles and pH value on the DCF removal.In the meantime,the continuous-flow experiment was done to explore the sustainability of the DCF degradation by jointly adding nZVI/nCaO_(2)nanoparticles in the reaction system.The results show that the nZVI/nCaO_(2)can effectively remove the DCF in the batch test with only 0.05 g/L nZVI and 0.2 g/L nCaO_(2)added,resulting in a removal rate of greater than 90%in a 2-hour reaction with an initial pH of 5.The degradation rate of DCF was positively correlated with the dosage of nCaO_(2),and negatively correlated with both nZVI dosage and the initial pH value.The order of significance of the three factors is identified as pH value>nZVI dosage>nCaO_(2)dosage.In the continuous-flow reaction system,the DCF removal rates remained above 75%within 150 minutes at the pH of 5,with the applied dosages of 0.5 g/L for nZVI and 1.0 g/L for nCaO_(2).These results provide a theoretical basis for the nZVI/nCaO_(2)application to remove DCF in groundwater.

Estimating and Plotting of Groundwater Quality Using WQI UA and GIS in Assiut Governorate, Egypt

This paper aims to turn complex groundwater data into comprehensible information by indexing the different factors numerically comparative to the standards of World Health Organization (WHO) to produce Water Quality Index (WQI). Water Quality Index (WQI) has been used to assess groundwater quality and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has been used to create maps representing the spatial distribution of groundwater categories in Assiut governorate, Egypt. Water Quality Index has been computed by Un-weighted Arithmetic Water Quality Index (WQIUA) method and applied on 796 wells over eight years from 2006 to 2013. The results showed that WQIUA values for drinking purposes were high and most of them reached higher or close to 100, which indicated that the groundwater was polluted and unsafe for drinking. On the other hand, the quality index of groundwater for irrigation purposes in most of the study area ranges between 55.78 and 78.38 (poor and very poor category);this means that groundwater is moderately polluted and rather suitable for irrigation.

Study of prediction for groundwater contamination in wastewater land treatment system

This paper uses a prediction model of groundwater pollution based on the experiments in the laboratory and in field .The model, which was tested and calibrated by the field observated data ,satisfactorily simulated the field conditions in land treatment system of wastewater . Particularly , the model can provide the reliable pollution prediction of heavy metals , organisms and nitrogen . The model was used to predict the groundwater pollution caused by the land treatment system in the region of North China . The calibration of the model showed that correlation coefficients between the tested and predictive data of Cr6+. As3+, organism and NH4+ could reach 0.990, which proved that the model possessed the realistic instructive significance for design and use of wastewater land treatment systems .

Sensitivity assessment of strontium isotope as indicator of polluted groundwater for hydraulic fracturing flowback fluids produced in the Dameigou Shale of Qaidam Basin

Hydrogeochemical processes that would occur in polluted groundwater and aquifer system,may reduce the sensitivity of Sr isotope being the indicator of hydraulic fracturing flowback fluids(HFFF)in groundwater.In this paper,the Dameigou shale gas field in the northern Qaidam Basin was taken as the study area,where the hydrogeochemical processes affecting Sr isotope was analysed.Then,the model for Sr isotope in HFFF-polluted groundwater was constructed to assess the sensitivity of Sr isotope as HFFF indicator.The results show that the dissolution can release little Sr to polluted groundwater and cannot affect the εSr(the deviation of the 87Sr/86Sr ratio)of polluted groundwater.In the meantime,cation exchange can considerably affect Sr composition in the polluted groundwater.The Sr with low εSr is constantly released to groundwater from the solid phase of aquifer media by cation exchange with pollution of Quaternary groundwater by the HFFF and it accounts for 4.6% and 11.0% of Sr in polluted groundwater when the HFFF flux reaches 10% and 30% of the polluted groundwater,respectively.However,the Sr from cation exchange has limited impact on Sr isotope in polluted groundwater.Addition of Sr from cation exchange would only cause a 0.2%and 1.2% decrease in εSr of the polluted groundwater when the HFFF flux reaches 10% and 30% of the polluted groundwater,respectively.These results demonstrate that hydrogeochemical processes have little effect on the sensitivity of Sr isotope being the HFFF indicator in groundwater of the study area.For the scenario of groundwater pollution by HFFF,when the HFFF accounts for 5%(in volume percentage)of the polluted groundwater,the HFFF can result in detectable shifts of εSr(Δ_(εSr)=0.86)in natural groundwater.Therefore,after consideration of hydrogeochemical processes occurred in aquifer with input of the HFFF,Sr isotope is still a sensitive indicator of the Quaternary groundwater pollution by the HFFF produced in the Dameigou shale of Qaidam Basin.

Groundwater Vulnerability and Sensitivity Optimization Using Geographical Information System for Kano Metropolis, North-Western Nigeria

This paper developed an optimization technique for groundwater vulnerability in Kano Metropolis, North-Western Nigeria. A combination of DRASTIC is taken from initial letters of seven parameters namely depth to water table (D), net recharge (R), aquifer media (A), soil media (S), topography (T), impact of vadose zone (V) and hydraulic conductivity (C), while GOD also represents groundwater confinement (G), overlaying strata (O), depth of water (D) and multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) techniques were used in the optimization method by integrating other important and sensitive parameters for groundwater pollution, principally the anthropogenic point source pollution parameters (dump site, petroleum stations, automobile shops and under storage tanks). Geographic Information System was used to perform the sensitivity analysis (SA) using the single parameter and map removal sensitivity methods. Result of sensitivity optimization revealed the depth to groundwater (D), net recharge (N), impact of vadose zone (V) from DRASTIC model, and groundwater conferment (G) from GOD model having significant impact on the groundwater vulnerability, respectively. A combination of these four parameters was used to generate DNVG groundwater vulnerability for the area. This suggests that an integration of other point source pollution parameters can enhance the influence of DRASTIC and GOD model parameters on groundwater vulnerability condition. The paper recommends for the application of the optimization method used in this study in another area with similar geological and anthropogenic point source of pollution with a view to validating or improving on it. In this study, several input data, such as anthropogenic point sources of contamination, are added to the existing DRASTIC and GOD model parameters as part of a sensitivity analysis aiming to optimise the performance of the resultant models.

Integrated Geoelectrical Resistivity Method for Environmental Assessment of Landfill Leachate Pollution and Aquifer Vulnerability Studies

Leachate plumes from landfills are a major source of pollution in Nigeria, especially in urban areas. Assessing leachate contamination in the subsoil is considered a complex process that needs detailed field measurement to accurately define the extent of contamination. To ascertain the extent of pollution of the subsoil and groundwater sources which were reportedly contaminated by leachate plumes from an old dumpsite located in Osubi town, an integrated geo-electrical method involving 1-D vertical electrical sounding (VES) and 2-D, 3-D ERT techniques were employed. Orthogonal set of 2-D apparent resistivity data was collected in a 100 × 50 m2 rectangular grid around the dumpsite, using the Wenner array. Two years later, three (3) 2-D resistivity imaging profiles were also recorded in time-lapse mode at the dumpsite to monitor the possible effects of attenuation on the leachate over time. Ten (10) VES data were also acquired and used along with the 2-D imaging data. 2-D apparent resistivity data were inverted with Dipprowin software program. The orthogonal set of 2-D lines of apparent resistivity was merged into 3-D data and inverted with RES3DINV program to create a 3-D subsurface resistivity model. Geological models observed from 2-D and 3-D resistivity inversion revealed low resistivity values in the order ρ Ω·m which is indicative of leachate plumes in the saturation zone (pore water). The 2-D resistivity-depth sections imaged low resistivity leachate plumes at the near surface (<5 m) to a depth of 25.0 m, while 3-D inversion depth slices imaged leachate contaminant within the first, second and third layers at depth ranging from 0.00 - 2.50 m, 2.50 - 5.38 m and 5.38 - 8.68 m respectively. Thus, leachate contamination clearly increased with depth beyond the depth of first and second aquifers in the area which implies that available groundwater for domestic use is already contaminated with leachate from the dumpsite. Leachate contaminant-depth map estimated for the second geoelectric layers for VES 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, and 10 shows that the second layer has been invaded completely by leachate contamination up to 6.5 m depth. 2-D apparent resistivity data acquired two years after show lower resistivity anomalies of the leachate plume caused by time-lapse attenuation effect on the observed resistivity of the leachate. This indicates that the leachate plume has become more conductive and toxic to the environment. The Longitudinal conductance map of the area shows that the aquifer protective capacity of this area is weak (0.1 - 0.19 Mho) thus, aquifers in the area are prone to pollution from the dumpsite. The three techniques used in this study (2-D, 3-D ERT and 1-D VES) fitly provided crucial information on the degree of contamination caused by the landfill leachate plume. Therefore, it is advisable to implement an environmental remediation and leachate management program.