The aim of this diploma thesis is to investigate the removability of microplastsic particles with different shapes (fragments, sphers, fibers) by standard water treatment process, such as coagulation, filtration and sedimentation. For the experimental purpose in this study, polyvinyl chloride with a size ≤ 50 μm and a density of 1.38 g/cm3 , was used as a representative of microplastics. The coagulation has been provided by ferric sulphate in pH range 5, 6, 7 and 8 and at a diferent dose of coagulant 20, 40, and 60 mg/l. The study results has shown, that the coagulation efficiency of polyvinyl chloride particles were affected by pH. The optimal value of pH has been 7 at the coagulant dose of 20, 40 and 60 mg/l. The presence of polyvinyl chloride shown a positive effect on coagulation. It has been reflected in a reduction of the residuals of iron concentration after coagulation, at pH 5-7. Solution with polyvinyl chloride contained 1,2 mg/l dissolved organic carbon. After fitlration the concentration decreased up to 70 % at pH 7 at dose of coagulant 40 and 60 mg/l. Experiments have shown that polyvinyl chloride particles are capable of faster sedimentation after coagulation. The flocs formed during coagulation interacted effectively with the polyvinyl chloride particles and facilitate their removal...

This master's thesis is focused on remediation of groundwater polluted by chlorinated ethenes with a use of nanoiron particles. Three injections of different types of nanoiron were carried out in the contaminated area of Spolchemie a.s. company in Ústí nad Labem. The main aim of the thesis was to compare effectiveness of those three applications. The remediation of groundwater was done by direct- push injection of suspension of nanoscale zero-valent iron. After that a monitoring of groundwater level and physicochemical parameters was performed. Samples of groundwater were collected during the monitoring and were analysed for contaminants and products of dechlorination. It was discovered that NANOFER STAR nanoiron had the strongest influence on reductive dechlorination. This was reflected by concentration decrease of TCE by 84 %, VC by 60 % and total concentration of CHC by 39 % in the period three months after the injection and the increase of degradation products of chlorinated ethenes. Injections of conservative tracers potassium bromide and lithium chloride served as a criterion for differentiation between the process of dechlorination and simple dilution effect. The effectiveness of NZVI-C3 nanoiron and NANOFER STAR with CMC nanoiron were notably lower than the bare NANOFER STAR nanoiron. In...

Dirt ingress in hydraulic cylinders is one of the sources that leads to pollution of hydraulic systems. There are already several test rigs to investigate external contamination mechanisms. However, until now only the behavior of the whole sealing system was analyzed. A new testing method to understand the dirt particle transport between a reciprocating motioned rod and a wiper is presented. The new approach aims to avoid known issues such as limited reproducibility and long duration. The paper describes the test rig design and operating principle. First measurement results are shown.

In this work, an automated statistical approach for the condition monitoring of a fluid power system based on a process sensor network is presented. In a multistep process, raw sensor data are processed by feature extraction, selection and dimensional reduction and finally mapped to discriminant functions which allow the detection and quantification of fault conditions. Experimentally obtained training data are used to evaluate the impact of temperature and different aeration levels of the hydraulic fluid on the detection of pump leakage and a degraded directional valve switching behavior. Furthermore, a robust detection of the loading state of the installed filter element and an estimation of the particle contamination level is proposed based on the same analysis concept.

Excessive arsenic and boron concentrations determined in natural waters within the Department of Tacna in southern Peru are associated with active Andean volcanism, being further exacerbated by the ongoing mining activity in the area. Both arsenic and boron concentrations at five investigated sites significantly exceed the maximum permissible limits determined by the World Health Organisation and the Peruvian legislation for drinking water, thus affecting the health and wellbeing of the local population. Due to the remoteness of the area of interest, which lacks infrastructure, skilled human resources as well as capital, Photon Water Technology s.r.o. has come up with a solution based on the use of small water treatment plants operating on the principle of reverse osmosis in combination with a commercial remediation product Katalox Light® . This product enables the formation of alkaline conditions needed for proper complexation of boron into B(OH)4 - (aq), which is better remediated by the proposed technology. Reverse osmosis can remediate arsenic, although the efficiency of As removal depends on the chemical composition of natural waters at the investigated sites. Laboratory experiments have been focused to prove the viability of Katalox Light® for enhancing the rate of boron removal within the designed...

Thesis (M. Sc. (Geology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / Mining activities for mineral resources over the years have, according to certain people, resulted in soil damage in the Atok area because of huge amounts of waste earth and rock that was brought to the surface, this waste often becomes toxic when it comes into contact with air and water. However, the geology of the area which is mafic in composition has caused major damage to the soil in the area as well. Due the removal process of desired mineral materials, soil textures have been destroyed, various nutrient cycles disturbed, and microbial communities altered, changing the vegetation and leading to the format of land in the area. Therefore, soil restoration of mining lands became a very important part of sustainable development strategies and also prescribed by law in South Africa. The geochemistry and mineralogy of soil samples taken from the area of Atok were studied using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and physio-chemical parameter analysis. These methods are used for investigating the element and mineral associations and the distribution of heavy metals in these soils around the mine. The chemical and mineralogical data from soil and tailings were collected from each of the following areas around Atok: (Sefateng, Moonametsi, Mohlahlaneng, Sefateng Tailing Dam and Mafeo), the samples were collected at various depths; at each sampling points. The results of XRF analysis indicated that the soils are rich in MgO, CaO and Fe2O3 with minerals such as pyroxenes, plagioclase feldspar and occasional olivine being dominant. An excess of these minerals caused the soil to be infertile. The physio-chemical analysis showed that the soil texture is sandy, therefore this is the reason that the soil has low water holding capacity (27%) and low soil moisture (1.2%), the pH (8.50) and EC (<0.50 dS/m). Keywords: Soil composition, chemical properties, heavy metal, contamination.

In the recent decades, therehave been frequent conflicts between groundwater waterresources and environmentally hazardous activities. Newmethodologies for aiding decision-making in groundwater impactassessment and protection areneeded and in which issues ofincreased awareness, better understanding of the groundwaterresources processes, and validation of predictive mathematicalmodels are addressed. A framework fordecision–aid, based on predictive simulations that a)predicts the environmental impacts b) provides the totaleconomical value c) visualises the impacts and the groundwaterproperties and d) describes the uncertainties in the results isproposed herein. The framework can be applied in environmentalimpact assessments, strategic environmental assessments andprotection and management of water resources. The results ofthe model are used as feedback for determining new scenarios,depending on the required uncertainties, and if the plannedactivity is sustainable, and/or fulfils the legislative andpolicy measures. This framework is applied to a particular casestudy, Nybroåsen, in the south-eastern part of Sweden,where the highway E22 is constructed through the importantglaciofluvial esker aquifer, passing the protection zone of thewater supply for the Kalmar municipality. The impacts from the new highwayand the existing road have been predicted by two-dimensionalphysically based time-variant flow and solute groundwatermodelling. The results, breakthrough curves of contaminantconcentration in wells and maps of concentration distributions,as well as travel times, flow paths, and capture zones forwells determined by particle tracking have been presented. The constructed model of theNybroåsen study area was calibrated by comparing observedand simulated groundwater levels for 15 observation wells forten years of measurements. The model has been evaluated bothgraphically and numerically and the calibration target wasfulfilled for 13 of the 15 observation wells. The model workincludes investigations of the catchment information, a waterbalance study, simulation of the groundwater recharge,consideration of the unsaturated zone by a numerical columnsimulation, and sensitivity analysis. From the sensitivity analysis ofthe flow and transport parameters, it has been shown that theuncertainties are mainly due to the hydraulic conductivity.Comparison of the derived conductivity from the steady-stateautomatic calibration and the time-variant calibration showedthat there are major differences in the derived parameters,which illustrates the importance of a time dependentcalibration over both wet and dry periods and in more than onepoint in the area of interest of the model predictions. In addition, a multi-criteriadecision analysis has been carried out for four roadalternatives (including the new highway E22) and the existingroad in the case study concerned. The multi-criteria decisionaid is applied as an illustration of how it can be used in thestudy area to identify a) interest groups of actors and theirconcerns b) ranking of alternative road scenarios according toactors’preferences and c) coalition groups of actorsi.e.groups that have similar views with regard to theroad alternatives. <b>Keywords:</b>Physically-based groundwater modelling,contamination, flow and solute transport, glaciofluvialdeposits, Nybroåsen, Sweden, and multi-criteriadecision-aid. / NR 20140805

Nakamtenga is situated in Burkina Faso, one of the poorest countries in the world suffering from lack of potable water and food security, leading to starvation and illnesses such as diarrhea. The purpose and goal of the field study was consequently to analyze the water situation in Nakamtenga so that the results and conclusions drawn from it could help to improve the water situation. It was done by investigating the water quality, quantity, risks of contamination and how the water is handled. At the time of observation Nakamtenga had seven functioning wells; two open dug wells and five closed pumps. The water quality analyses indicate that the quality is generally good, with exception of the open wells, of which the water has significant amounts of coliforms. The phosphate levels are above 0.6 mg/l in six of the wells, which indicate that the water may be affected by human activities. The most significant threat to the water quality is the handling of the water, which is inappropriate in many ways. Placing of funnels in spill water from the wells, not covering the containers used to store water and placing fetching materials in the dirt are examples of improper handling. Other risks of contamination are lacks in the construction of the wells, latrines placed near the wells and use of pesticides/herbicides. Another major problem is that the pumps break too often; there is water but the inhabitants cannot reach it. It is important to take in consideration that the mapping was made during the dry season. Since conditions are very different during the rainy season it is recommended to do further studies during this period, or at least, being attentive to indications of changes in water quality and supply. To improve the water situation several measures can be taken. Education concerning the handling of the water (hygiene and sanitation) is one of the most important. Actions should also be taken to improve the water quality in the open wells. Reducing contamination risks is possible at all wells since deficiencies and flaws occur everywhere. Moreover the documentation and organization of water related issues is insufficient. Improving this work could significantly improve the water situation in the village.

Legacy mining areas throughout the world contain widespread contaminated surface and groundwater from both anthropogenic and geogenic sources. Abandoned mine waste can contribute harmful solutes to groundwater and surface water, as metals mobilize through oxidation of sulfide minerals. Geogenic contaminant sources, such as geothermal water and mineralization, may also contribute to groundwater pollution in mining areas. To investigate the relationship between various groundwater contamination sources in legacy mining areas we sampled ~30 cold springs in the East Tintic Mountains of Utah and 8 regional hot springs as a proxy for geothermal water during fall 2019 and spring/summer 2020. Water chemistry data were analyzed using a Principal Components Analysis (PCA), revealing two distinct groundwater systems for hot and cold springs with no apparent mixing between the two. Only one cold spring was clearly enriched in multiple metals (Al, Mn, Co, Ni) relative to other springs but was not located proximal to any significant mining waste rock piles. 87Sr/86Sr ratios were analyzed in a subset of samples to identify flowpaths through carbonate or volcanic rocks. Only two springs had 87Sr/86Sr ratios characteristic of the Eocene and Oligocene volcanic rocks that dominate the surface of the study area (0.707 - 0.708), with all others having ratios indicative of underlying Paleozoic carbonate rocks (0.708 -0.710). Groundwater flow through carbonate rocks is dominated by faults and fractures, with faults appearing to act as barriers rather than conduits to flow. Faults create groundwater compartmentalization within the carbonate rock that isolates water contaminated by mining waste, while the carbonate rocks neutralize acid mine drainage. Groundwater compartmentalization explains the lack of widespread contamination despite the presence of large mining waste piles throughout the area. Mixing between geothermal and shallow groundwater may be the source of high Li, B, and SO42- concentrations in a limited number of springs. Our results suggest that contamination from mining waste is highly localized and that that waters discharging from mining areas overlying faulted carbonate rocks may be less contaminated than previously thought. This study has implications for understanding groundwater contamination dynamics in semi-arid regions impacted by mining.

A-type granites form in anorogenic settings and typically have high REE concentrations, K2O, Na2O, SiO2, FeOtotal, but low contents of Al2O3, MgO, CaO compared to other granite types. They have been divided in two groups according to their geochemical characteristics: differentiates of mantle-derived magmas (A1), and granites that are the result of melting depleted, lower crust (A2). The two largest A-type granites of the Mesozoic White Mountain Batholith of New Hampshire are the Mount Osceola and Conway granites. Electron microprobe analyses of biotite and amphibole in both granites are similar to those in other A-type granites: Fe-rich, but low MgO, and Al2O3. Whole-rock major and trace elements compositions of the Mount Osceola and the Conway granites are similar; both have high contents of REE, Zr, Nb, high Nb/Y ratios, and low CaO, Eu, and Sr and other compatible elements. Based on their high Nb/Y ratios, both granites are classified as mantle-derived magmas (A1). Microanalyses of ẟ18O and ƐHf of zircon show significant crustal contamination in both granites. The ẟ18O values for zircons from the Mount Osceola are between 7.4-8.9‰, and for the Conway Granite are 7.0-8.1‰. These values are distinct from mantle zircon (ẟ18O 5.3±0.3‰), which indicates large degrees of crustal contamination in both granites. Additionally, ƐHf (188Ma) for the Mount Osceola zircon ranges from -1.1 to +3.4, and those from the Conway Granite range from -2.1 to +4.6, indicating magma derivation in depleted mantle (ƐHf > 0) along with a crustal component. Although both granites have A1 compositions suggesting a mantle-derivation, this simple process is not recorded by the zircons. These zircons crystallized after considerable crustal contamination of mantle-derived A1 magmas and missed capturing the signature of that mantle component.