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Groundwater Protection: Contaminant Transport Processes and Remediation Approaches
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Groundwater Protection: Contaminant Transport Processes and Remediation Approaches

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Hydrogeology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 11275

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Paolo Viotti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil, Constructional and Environmental Engineering (DICEA), Sapienza University of Rome, 00184 Rome, Italy
Interests: groundwater pollution; long term contamination sources; transport processes in soil and subsoil; unsaturated zone; NAPL
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The protection of groundwater is an issue that concerns the entire world. Almost everywhere, drinking water supply systems use groundwater.  Understanding the main processes occurring in the contamination phase or in the remediation approach is fundamental in maximizing the efficiency of the technologies used for restoring water quality. New technologies need experimental studies to be implemented at the field scale; experimental activity brings new knowledge for numerical approaches that are equally fundamental for a correct and eco-sustainable design and application of remediation technologies. The study of sustainable, effective remediation technologies is a significant challenge of the scientific community, and it has a strong influence on the health and livelihood of billions of people worldwide. The focus of this Special Issue is, therefore, to present advances in the contamination/remediation processes, including new findings on the basic processes involved and new approaches that can be effective for groundwater remediation. The topics of the selected papers should bring innovative approaches on the above mentioned arguments.

Water, especially groundwater, is a fundamental resource for the development and survival of entire areas. Often, contamination processes occur, determining long periods of pollution with no possibility to restore availability of the waters for human activities. Long-lasting sources due to separate phases or to portions of fine-grained soil completely filled with pollutants represent enormous problems that oblige the use of expensive and unsustainable technologies, both from an economic and social point of view. In this context, this issue is devoted to innovative technologies and a new and deeper understanding of the processes, with the main aim of introducing new and more sustainable approaches to the remediation of contaminated groundwater. Numerical and experimental studies aimed at deepening the understanding of contamination processes, of interactions of pollutants with the environmental matrices, and studies involving the use of novel materials in the framework of the sustainable remediation will be the main topics of the Special Issue.

Dr. Paolo Viotti
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • groundwater remediation
  • sustainable approaches
  • long-lasting contamination sources
  • eco-compatibility
  • basic processes of transport and interactions

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 13749 KiB  
Article
Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment to Cemeteries Pollution through GIS-Based DRASTIC Index
by Vanessa Gonçalves, Antonio Albuquerque, Paulo Carvalho, Pedro Almeida and Victor Cavaleiro
Water 2023, 15(4), 812; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15040812 - 19 Feb 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3592
Abstract
Deposition of corpses in the ground is the most common burial practice, which can allow interactions between polluting compounds and the soil, groundwater, and surface water, which may afterwards lead to negative environmental impacts and risks to public health. The risk of cemeteries [...] Read more.
Deposition of corpses in the ground is the most common burial practice, which can allow interactions between polluting compounds and the soil, groundwater, and surface water, which may afterwards lead to negative environmental impacts and risks to public health. The risk of cemeteries contaminating groundwater is related to their location, the quantity of clothes, metals and adornments buried, and geographical, geological, hydrogeological, and climatic factors. Using the DRASTIC index and geographical information system (GIS) tools, the potential for groundwater contamination was investigated in eight cemeteries located in the Figueira da Foz region (Portugal), which are the main anthropogenic pollution sources in the area. Aquifer vulnerability was assessed through the development of thirteen site characteristic maps, seven thematic maps, and a DRASTIC index vulnerability map, using GIS operation tools. No studies were found on the development of vulnerability maps with this method and digital tools. Cemeteries UC2, UC4, UC5, UC6, UC7, and UC8 are located within the zones susceptible to recharge, with an average recharge rate of 254 mm/year. Cemeteries UC5, UC7, and UC8 are expected to develop a greater water-holding capacity. The water table depth is more vulnerable at UC6, varying between 9.1 m and 15.2 m. However, results show only a high vulnerability associated with the UC4 cemetery with the contributions T,C > R,S > I > A > D, which should be under an environmental monitoring program. The area surrounding UC4 is characterized by a water table depth ranging between 15.2 m to 22.9 m, mainly fine-grained sands in both the vadose zone and the aquifer media, Gleyic Solonchaks at the topsoil, very unfavorable slope (0–2%), and high hydraulic conductivity (>81.5 m/day). The sensitivity analysis shows that the topography, soil media, and aquifer media weights were the most effective in the vulnerability assessment. However, the highest contributions to index variation were made by hydraulic conductivity, net recharge, and soil media. This type of approach not only makes it possible to assess the vulnerability of groundwater to contamination from cemeteries but also allows the definition of environmental monitoring plans as well as provides the entities responsible for its management and surveillance with a methodology and tools for its continuous monitoring. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Groundwater Protection: Contaminant Transport Processes and Remediation Approaches)
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16 pages, 3146 KiB  
Article
Risk Analysis of Heavy Metals and Groundwater Quality Indices in Residential Areas: A Case Study in the Rajanpur District, Pakistan
by Asima Mughal, Khawar Sultan, Kamran Ashraf, Ayesha Hassan, Qamar uz Zaman, Fasih Ullah Haider and Babar Shahzad
Water 2022, 14(21), 3551; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14213551 - 04 Nov 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2762
Abstract
Continuous monitoring of drinking water quality is essential in terms of the levels of heavy metals and toxic substances, especially in developing countries like Pakistan. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate groundwater quality in residential areas of the Rajanpur District, Pakistan. Groundwater samples [...] Read more.
Continuous monitoring of drinking water quality is essential in terms of the levels of heavy metals and toxic substances, especially in developing countries like Pakistan. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate groundwater quality in residential areas of the Rajanpur District, Pakistan. Groundwater samples (n = 200) were collected from various sites in the study area and analyzed by in situ tests (pH, EC, TDS, temperature, and turbidity), and the concentration of 32 dissolved elements and ions was also analyzed. The results showed that higher concentrations of dissolved elements are the primary reason for poor drinking water quality. A few measured parameters (TDS~992 mg L−1 and EC~1921.15 µS/cm) exceeded the permissible limits of the World Health Organization (WHO, Geneva, Switzerland) in most of the samples. Elements that had higher values than the allowable limits in most of the samples were calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), bicarbonates (HCO3), sulfate (SO4), chlorides (Cl), manganese (Mn), and strontium (Sr), with average values of 113 mg L−1, 223 mg L−1, 282 mg L−1, 367 mg L−1, 175 mg L−1, 69 mg L−1, and 1291 mg L−1, respectively. The measured parameters that had no significant issues in terms of drinking water quality were aluminum (Al), nitrite (NO2), phosphate (PO4), pH, and turbidity. The levels of potentially toxic elements such as arsenic (As), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), and copper (Cu) (average ~2.179 mg L−1, 1.659 mg L−1, 0.092 mg L−1, and 1.032 mg L−1, respectively) were found to be lower than the drinking water guideline values of the WHO. The statistical analysis revealed weak correlations possibly due to multiple sources and localized variations. The physicochemical analysis-based WQI values for all groundwater samples were much lower at the residential sampling locations and in industrial settings, indicating poor water quality. The elevation model indicated that as water moves in the aquifer in the general direction of west to southeast, it gets concentrated by mineral dissolution, with geogenic sources having a major impact on the hydrochemistry. Hence, regular monitoring of water quality is required through advanced technology to overcome groundwater deterioration issues. The quality of water is poor for drinking purposes and the health of the residents of the Rajanpur District may be at risk. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Groundwater Protection: Contaminant Transport Processes and Remediation Approaches)
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17 pages, 5061 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Zerovalent Iron Nanoparticle (nZVI) Efficiency for Remediation of Arsenic-Contaminated Groundwater: Two Laboratory Experiments
by Giuseppe Sappa, Maurizio Barbieri, Paolo Viotti, Fabio Tatti and Francesca Andrei
Water 2022, 14(20), 3261; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14203261 - 16 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1906
Abstract
Zerovalent iron nanoparticle (nZVI) technology has been found to be promising and effective for soil and groundwater remediation. This paper shows the results of two batch tests (Test A and Test B) carried out to assess the capacity of nZVI to remediate arsenic [...] Read more.
Zerovalent iron nanoparticle (nZVI) technology has been found to be promising and effective for soil and groundwater remediation. This paper shows the results of two batch tests (Test A and Test B) carried out to assess the capacity of nZVI to remediate arsenic (As)-contaminated water. Test A, performed with batches of tap water contaminated by arsenic, with a concentration equal to 10 mg ∗ L−1, showed a significant reduction of the As concentrations in solution, with a maximum removal rate up to 98% (Batch 3). Test A lasted 26 h. At the same time, Test B was performed with a sample of arsenic-contaminated sediment, with a concentration equal to 100 mg ∗ Kg−1 (ca). Test B lasted 72 h. Test B also confirmed an excellent reduction of the As concentrations in solution, up to a maximum removal rate of 99% (Batch 3). These results show the effectiveness of nZVI for the remediation of water contaminated by arsenic. However, as the As–nZVI interaction time increased, there was a decrease in the available sites for arsenic immobilization, and so the As concentrations in solution became constant. In fact, as the dose of nZVI (mnZVI) used in the batches increased, the mass concentration of residue As in the solution at the equilibrium decreased (cAse) and therefore the concentration of As absorbed (cAs0–cAse) on the nZVI increased due to the immobilization action of the nanoparticles. The results show concentrations of As absorbed (cAs0–cAse) on the nZVI with a range between 5.10 mg ∗ L−1 (mnZVI = 0.05 g) and 9.54 mg ∗ L−1 (mnZVI = 0.5 g) for Test A, and with a range between 0.029 mg ∗ L−1 (mnZVI = 0.05 g) and 0.058 mg ∗ L−1 (mnZVI = 0.7 g) for Test B. Therefore, these results underline the need to monitor As concentrations during applications in the field, in order to verify the demand for injecting new active nanoparticles for arsenic removal. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Groundwater Protection: Contaminant Transport Processes and Remediation Approaches)
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19 pages, 10256 KiB  
Article
DRASTIC Index GIS-Based Vulnerability Map for the Entre-os-Rios Thermal Aquifer
by Vanessa Gonçalves, Antonio Albuquerque, Pedro G. Almeida and Victor Cavaleiro
Water 2022, 14(16), 2448; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14162448 - 09 Aug 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2462
Abstract
The sulphurous mineral waters of ‘Entre-os-Rios’, which is sited in NW Portugal, are famous for their long history as thermal baths dating back at least to the mid-sixteenth century. Because of the singularity of its water composition, especially the highest sulphur content, the [...] Read more.
The sulphurous mineral waters of ‘Entre-os-Rios’, which is sited in NW Portugal, are famous for their long history as thermal baths dating back at least to the mid-sixteenth century. Because of the singularity of its water composition, especially the highest sulphur content, the mineral waters of ‘Entre-os-Rios’ are one of the most important sulphurous waters in Portugal. Despite these mineral waters having a protection perimeter buffer zone to avoid water contamination, there are potentially damaging installations (e.g., fuel station) in the closed protection buffer zone that, according to existing law, are not permitted within the protection perimeters, which defeats the purpose of their delineation. A vulnerability map was created using geographic information system (GIS) tools based on multi-criteria analysis, combining thematic maps and parameters of the DRASTIC index, for evaluating the risk of contamination in the protection area. The results showed that within the perimeter, there was a low risk of pollution. The alluvium-covered terrain was vulnerable to moderate contamination, but it was far from the catchment point. Areas of minimal risk corresponded to locations where the granitic massif had not been significantly weathered. The map enables information collection for a better definition of local resource structures and planning, namely, for restricted areas emplacement where some activities should not be allowed (e.g., agriculture and water prospection), given its influence on the confined granitic aquifer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Groundwater Protection: Contaminant Transport Processes and Remediation Approaches)
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