Environmental Geochemistry (Environmental Studies)

The damage of environmental components has become of extraordinary importance, as they determine an imbalance of the delicate ecological system, that is the interrelation between biotic and abiotic resources and their services, of which the human being itself is a fundamental part. In this regard, a comparison between European and Italian legislation on the prevention and repair of environmental damage is deemed useful. The criticism given in this work, in particular, starts from the multiplicity of meanings that are attributed to the environment and from the particular definition of environmental damage, also taking into account the consequences that this damage can affect in the individual sphere of the subjects, physical or juridical. The examination, then, focuses on the regime of environmental responsibility and on actions aimed at preventing and repairing the damage of natural resources, and relative methods of implementation. In conclusion, we discuss the debated hypotheses of the multiplicity of persons responsible for the same environmental damage and the responsibility of the owner or manager of the compromised area.

The steppe and semidesert landscapes of the Republic of Kalmykia and Rostov oblast (a total of 12) in various ecological and geochemical conditions (precipitation, temperature, soil salinization, position in meso and macro relief, etc.) have been studied. Samples of vegetation and soil have been taken at the selected sites, and the contents of P are measured by the X-ray fluorescent method. Organic carbon (C org), calcium carbonate (CaCO 3), pH, and granu-lometric composition are additionally determined in soil. To estimate the absorption and biogenic accumulation of chemical elements by vegetation, the coefficient of biological uptake (CBU) is calculated. To interpret and visualize the data, the nonmetric multidimensional scaling method is used. It is revealed that when environmental conditions vary the content of chemical elements in the studied plants decreases as following: Sa > Al > Fe > K > S > P > Mg > Ti > Mn > Sr > Ba > Zn > Ni. The highest contents of Al, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ti, Ba, Zn, and Sr are shown for plants of the genus Poaceae Barnhart, and the highest contents of Ca, K, P, and S are shown for plants of the genus Artemisia L. According to the cumulative characteristics, concentrations of the studied elements in vegetation are significantly different from each other in aboveground parts of cereals , aboveground and underground parts of wormwoods, and underground parts of cereals. For the studied plant species, the coefficient of biological uptake of chemical elements >1 was revealed for S

In the research, two agricultural locations were chosen, the first was in Botanical garden of Biology Department in the College of Science/Al-Mustansiryiah University which considered as a control to the second location. The later was in Plantation Street near the College of Administration and Economics/Baghdad University. This location was divided into three sited (A, B, and C) along 750 m. Two plants were used, Carum petroselinum, and Piper nigrum, these plants were harvested after 45 days from agriculture. Each plant was divided into three parts; leaves, shoot, and root. In those parts, two heavy metals, Pb and Cd, were measured. The comparison in the concentration of Pb and Cd in each part of plants was obtained between plants which grow in the second location and the control area. The results present a significant increase in concentrations of Pb and Cd in all sites (A, B, and C) comparing with control plants in Botanical Garden. The averages of Pb in the second were 3.6, 3.4, and 5.7, while the Cd averages were 2.6, 2.3, and 5.4 for Root, Shoot, and Leaf respectively for the Piper. Those results were higher than the control in the Botanical Garden. The Carum showed the results 3.4, 2.5, and 5.0 in respect to Pb and 2.6, 2.3, and 5.2 for Cd for Root, Shoot, and Leaf respectively in opposite to the Botanical Garden which was relatively low values. On the other hand, the Soil geochemical analysis appeared high contamination by Pb and Cd in Plantation Street comparing with the control. The sites of interest indicate relatively high values particularly in site B in respect of Pb mean, while C show high values in Cd mean. Moreover, leaves showed the highest values in this study between the other parts of plants. Furthermore, all the resulted values presented high levels of Pb and Cd, higher than the levels of the World Health Organization (WHO), in soil and plants. The conclusion of this study, that second location was contaminated by high levels of these heavy metals (Pb and Cd). The Leaf was the highest among the other values due to the maximum concentration of contaminants located in this contacted area. As well as, the recommendation is not to utilize this area for agriculture, especially the crops, because of the contamination problem. This problem needs for later remediation studies to solve it, especially the area is prone to many vegetables and/or plants, which used for human nutrition.

Evaluación de los efectos sinérgicos producidos por factores antropogénicos y naturales en el contenido metálico del agua del río Sonora en la segunda mitad del año 2014 RESUMEN: Se analiza la calidad de las aguas superficiales y subterráneas del río Sonora durante el período del 18 de agosto al 31 de diciembre de 2014, con el objetivo de estudiar su comportamiento en el tiempo y el espacio. Se evalúa así mismo el posible efecto sinérgico producido por el derrame de agua acidulada con contenidos de metales básicos sucedido en las instalaciones de la mina Buenavista del Cobre el 6 de agosto de 2014, y de dos eventos ciclónicos que produjeron lluvias extraordinarias, el primero del 5 al 9 de Septiembre, Huracán Norberto, y del 17 al 18 Septiembre, Huracán Odille. Los datos analíticos del contenido de metales básicos en el agua superficial evidencia un aumento en su contenido en el período de agosto y septiembre comparado con los meses consecuentes, sin embargo se observa poca diferencia en sus contenidos entre el período post-derrame del 18 de agosto al 5 de septiembre y del período post-huracanes del 6 al 30 de septiembre, evidenciando así efectos sinérgicos muy similares. Los datos analíticos del muestreo del agua subterránea, aunque indican contenidos mayores de aluminio y cobre en los meses de agosto y septiembre, no evidencian efecto sinérgico alguno producido por el derrame. La alta y homogénea correlación entre el contenido de los metales Al, Fe, Cu y Mn en el agua superficial y los cocientes correspondientes, indican que el contenido metálico del agua superficial en el período de monitoreo es similar al contenido metálico de los sedimentos de la Cuenca de acuerdo a la línea base calculada con datos previos al período de estudio.

Appraisal study has been carried out on municipal supplied tap and groundwater used for drinking in Goth Ibrahim Hyderi. Study site is an undeveloped rural area of the coastal belt of district Malir, Karachi. Ten samples each from groundwater and municipally supplied water were randomly collected according to the size of population from residential and commercial areas of Goth Ibrahim Hyderi. Data reveal that both the sources are chemically polluted and sewage impacted. About 60% wells have a very high TDS (mean: 3094 mg/L). The concentration of corresponding solutes (Na, K, Ca) and anions (Cl, SO 4 , HCO 3) is also found to be very high. Similarly, tap water of Baloc, Kariya and Katch is also high in its salinity. About 70% and 40% of collected samples of tap water and groundwater respectively are sewage impacted as indicated by the occurrence of fecal coliforms and E. coli. The present study revealed that both water sources (municipal and groundwater) are found unfit for drinking purpose in terms of their chemical and microbiological load.

Jordan has huge organic-rich oil shale resources. The exploitation of this resource for generating electrical power by direct combustion is eminent. This process will produce huge ash tailings that contain high concentrations of potentially leachable toxic elements (e.g. Cr +6 , V +5 , As +3 , Cd +2). This ash is friable and eventually will interact with rainwater, forming a leachate rich in toxic elements that might reach soil, plants and surface and groundwater resources. Therefore, as a preventive measure, the current study analyzed the mobility of toxic elements in the ash of burned oil shale (BOS), in particular Cr +6 , and aimed to fix them through mixing with other natural locally available materials such as phosphogypsum (PG) and red soil (RS). In addition, a study of the changes in mineralogy, petrography and engineering properties with time during a period of up to 12 months was conducted. The ageing results revealed that the ash + RS mixtures showed a lower leachability of toxic elements in the pH range of 5-9 in comparison with other mixtures. Besides, the said mixtures exhibited an increase in the values of unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and decrease in those of permeability (PE) unlike other mixtures. Moreover, ettringite and portlandite phases increasingly appeared in these mixtures with time, which explains the increase of UCS. The USC of the ash alone mixture was the second lowest and that of the ash + PG mixture the lowest. Therefore, mixing the produced ash with RS (3:1 ratio) under water saturation conditions would afford the best long-term solidification of harmful toxic elements.

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researchers funded by two National Science Foundation (NSF) programs are working with a third-generation farming family to better understand challenges to their livelihoods and those of other small farmers on Oʻahu. Active Societal Participation in Research and Education (ASPIRE), and ʻIke Wai, a program that studies Hawaiʻi‘s aquifers with a goal of ensuring future water security, are partnering to make this possible.

This paper aims to make a geochemical characterization of the groundwater of Rrogozhina aquifer which extends over the Albanian pre-Adriatic depression covering a surface of 2100 km 2. It is a multilayered aquifer consisting of intercalations between water-bearing Pliocene sandstone and conglomerate with impermeable clay layers.
This aquifer occurs under typically artesian conditions because of its impermeable clay basement and semi-impermeable Quaternary cover. The groundwater shows variable geochemical composition due to different mineralogical composition of its medium and vast extension of the aquifer. However, the mainly magmatic - carbonatic mineralogical
composition of the water - bearing sandstones and conglomerates has determined a geochemical composition of groundwater consisting mostly of HCO3-Mg-Ca hydrochemical groundwater type. Dissolution of minerals seems to be the major geochemical processes in the formation of the groundwater composition. The above mainly magmatic composition of sandstones and conglomerates is also responsable for
the high content of iron in the grounwater of this aquifer. Iron content is higher in sandstone related groundwater where the silt fraction is mainly composed by ironbearing minerals such as magnetite, epidote, granate,
sphene, amphibole and pyroxene. The  general mineralization and general hardness of groundwater range from 500 to 800 mg/l and from 11 to 25ºdH, respectively.

Ekumfi Akwakrom and Ekumfi Asokwa are coastal communities located in the Mankessim Municipality of the Central
Region of Ghana. Salinity studies were conducted using chloride profiles and stable isotopes in the unsaturated zone to
identify the source of salt in groundwater of the area. Samples of soil, rainwater, groundwater and water from unsaturated
zone were analysed for physical parameters, chloride and stable isotope composition. Chloride concentrations varied with
depth along profiles showing accumulation of Cl- in the unsaturated zone at depth of 60.0 cm, 100.0 cm and 180.0 cm
respectively. Stable isotope of the rainwater, water extracted from soil, water from unsaturated zone and groundwater in
the study area also indicate that, rainfall is the only source of recharge to groundwater. The chloride mass balance (CMB)
approach showed that the recharge rate in the flushed portion of profiles in the area is 65.56 mm/yr and any heavy/intense
rainfall could result in downward movement of salts that had accumulated near the surface of the soil. The high chloride
concentration found in groundwater in the coastal aquifers is as a result of dissolution of soluble salts (Cl-) accumulated in
the unsaturated zone without any isotopic fractionation and discharges them into the groundwater system leading to
groundwater salinisation in the area.

A total of five borehole samples were collected from five towns in Owerri metropolis, South-eastern Nigeria and subjected to physio-chemical analysis using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) and other standard equipment with the aim of characterizing and analysing the groundwater quality indicators. These quality indicators are namely: pH, temperature, total hardness, turbidity, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, dissolved oxygen, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, HCO3-, SO42-, Cl-, NO3-, Fe2+, Zn2+, Pb2+, Cu2+, Mn2+, and Cr2+. With the aid of geochemical diagrams acquired using Aquachem 2014.2, we classified the groundwater samples into their respective hydrogeochemical facies, identified their relative similarity and demonstrated the irrigability of the groundwater. The results showed that the groundwater quality indicators occur in the groundwater in amounts that fall within their respective permissible limits as set by World Health Organization (WHO) Drinking Water Standard, and therefore ascertained the groundwater portable and suitable for drinking. The pH of the groundwater has a mean value of 6.7 with a standard deviation of 0.26. The relative abundance of the majority of cations follows this sequence - Na+ > Ca2+ > K+ > Mg2+, while that of the anions follow this sequence - HCO3- > Cl- > SO42- > NO3-. Heavy metals constituents of the groundwater follow this order of relative abundance - Zn2+ > Fe2+ > Mn2+ > Cu2+ > Cr2+ > Pb2+. Three hydrogeochemical facies were identified in the area and they are: the Na+—Cl- water type, the Mixed Ca2+-Na+-HCO3- water type and the Ca2+-Mg2+-HCO3- water type. Great similarities were identified between the geochemical composition of the samples and they are all evidently suitable for irrigation purposes. The TDS level and concentration of Ca2+, Mg2+ and Cl- demonstrated the freshness and softness of the groundwater, with no laxative effects. From series of computations and plots, silicate weathering and seawater intrusion were deduced to be the dominant factors controlling the groundwater chemistry, though there is evidence of poor rock dissolution – immature water-rock equilibrium.

To assess the impact of fluoride and nitrate concentration on groundwater quality at Zaheerabad area, 50 groundwater samples were collected from borewells/dugwells and analyzed for major ions. Water quality analysis of major ions shows elevated
concentration of fluoride and nitrate in few groundwater samples. The pH ranges from 6.6 to 8.9, electrical conductivity (EC) ranges from 86 to 900 μS/cm, TDS ranges from 55 to 576 mg/l. Fluoride concentration ranges from 0.13 to 2.63 mg/l out of which 18% of the groundwater samples have exceeded the permissible limits of 1.5 mg/l, while in the case of nitrate
concentration 16% of the groundwater samples have exceeded the permissible limits of 45 mg/l. The water quality data were interpreted through multivariate statistical techniques, viz., hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis. The results clearly show that the fluoride concentration in the study area was controlled by geogenic process, whereas the
nitrate concentration in the samples was due to the excess use of fertilizers, pesticides, and organic matter. Multivariate statistical techniques are potential tools and provide greater precision for identifying contaminant parameters that are linked
with environment and natural rocks.

We report analytical results for stoneware samples from four excavated Angkor-period kilns in the Greater Angkor area. Previous work has suggested that establishing distinct chemical signatures for kiln complexes in this region is problematic. The current study highlights the effectiveness of neutron activation analysis (NAA) for differentiating the products of Angkorian kiln complexes; it also confirms the viability of a larger-scale research programme to understand the relationship between Khmer stoneware production and patterns of distribution across the wider Angkorian territory. Evidence of ceramics excavated at kiln sites but produced elsewhere highlights the complexity of consumption patterns during the Angkorian period.

Sixteen water samples were collected from the operation units of the Al-Quds power plant, north Baghdad city and the surrounding trocars, surface and groundwater, and analyzed to assess the resulting pollution. The samples were analyzed for heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, U and Zn) by using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The results were compared with local and international and standard limits. Heavy metals analysis of the water samples shows that water of operation units and trocars have mean concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mo, Pb, Sb, Se, U and Zn were within or lower than the national and world limits, while Mn and Ni were higher than these limits. Concentrations of these elements in the surface water were within the safe limits. In the groundwater samples As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mo, Sb, Se, U and Zn were within the permissible limits while Ni, Mn and Pb were higher than the permissible limits indicating the effect of anthropogenic activities. The collected samples submitted to health risk assessment to evaluate the actual adverse effects of contaminants to humans, the results of HQs ingestion of all elements (except As for child) are smaller than 1, suggesting little hazard. In addition, HQs dermal in all studied elements for adult are below1, indicates no hazards for dermal absorption. Overall, HI of As and Mn for child exceeded 1. Comparison between values of HQ ing for adults and children shows that children are more susceptible to adverse to health effects than adults. These results necessitate a search of the means of treatment and reduce pollution with heavy metals in the industrial areas.

The Szczecin Lagoon is an area of a key importance for the Odra River discharge system. Exchange of water between the Odra and the Baltic Sea happens via a shallow lagoonary
system which includes three relatively long and narrow straits. The lagoon is strongly affected by anthropogenic impacts from industry, shipping and agriculture. A serious
problem in the lagoon is the large nutrient load which in turnresults in eutrophication.
Chemical analyses reveal that concentrations of heavy metals in lagoonary sediments in total do not exceed permissible values. Only mercury and zinc showdangerously high levels. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and PCB’s Polychlorinated Biphenyls are present, but sediment are not significantly contaminated by organic compounds of tin (Sn). All sediment analyses revealed concentrations of tributyltin (TBT) above permissible levels.