Geochemical characterization of surface waters and groundwater resources in the Managua area (Nicaragua,Central America)

This paper reports new geochemical data on dissolved major and minor constituents in surface waters and ground waters collected in the Managua region (Nicaragua), and provides a preliminary characterization of the hydrogeochemical processes governing the natural water evolution in this area. The peculiar geological features of the study site, an active tectonic region (Nicaragua Depression) characterized by active volcanism and thermalism, combined with significant anthropogenic pressure, contribute to a complex evolution of water chemistry, which results from the simultaneous action of several geochemical processes such as evaporation, rock leaching, mixing with saline brines of natural or anthropogenic origin. The effect of active thermalism on both surface waters (e.g., saline volcanic lakes) and groundwaters, as a result of mixing with variable proportions of hyper-saline geothermal Na–Cl brines (e.g., Momotombo geothermal plant), accounts for the high salinities and high concentrations of many environmentally-relevant trace elements (As, B, Fe and Mn) in the waters. At the same time the active extensional tectonics of the Managua area favour the interaction with acidic, reduced thermal fluids, followed by extensive leaching of the host rock and the groundwater release of toxic metals (e.g., Ni, Cu). The significant pollution in the area, deriving principally from urban and industrial waste-water, probably also contributes to the aquatic cycling of many trace elements, which attain concentrations above the WHO recommended limits for the elements Ni (∼40 μg/l) and Cu (∼10 μg/l) limiting the potential utilisation of Lake Xolotlan for nearby Managua.     

Diagenetic processes on metals in hypersaline mudflat sediments from a subtropical saltmarsh (SE Gulf of California): Postdepositional mobility and geochemical fractions

To understand the biogeochemical cycles of trace metals (Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and Zn) in a hypersaline subtropical marsh, geochemical studies of both interstitial and solid phases were conducted on sediment cores from Chiricahueto marsh, SE Gulf of California. The sequential extraction procedure proposed by Tessier was used to estimate the percentages of the metals present in each geochemical phase of the sediment. Metal concentrations in the solid phase were found to be enriched in the upper layers and mainly associated with reactive fractions such as organic matter, Fe–Mn oxyhydroxides and carbonates (46–74% of Ni, Mn and Cd, and 11–19% of Cu and Zn). Principal factor analysis (PFA) and Spearman correlation analysis revealed a strong positive association of metals and their reactive phases with OC (the diagenetic component), and a negative or non-association with the mud content, Al, Fe and Li (the lithogenic component). Diagenetically released metals are mainly mobilized within hypersaline sediments by buoyancy transport (>90% of total flux) in response to an extreme salinity gradient by input of fresh groundwater (3–6 psu cm⁻¹). The molecular diffusion due to the gradient of metals in porewater (maximum and higher levels at 5–7 and below 20 cm depth, respectively) is significantly less important to the advective transport. Most of the metals mobilized by diffusion–advection processes are re-precipitated in the sediments by authigenic minerals, only <10% of most metals are extruded out to the overlying water column. Authigenic accumulation rates were estimated as 1.42–7.09 mg m⁻² a⁻¹ for Cd; 58.8–378 for Cu; 6922–17,985 for Fe; 38.2–345 for Mn; 20.8–263 for Ni; and 282–2956 mg m⁻² a⁻¹ for Zn. The Mn–Fe oxyhydroxides (40–85% of reactive metals) in the upper oxic–suboxic layers (<5 cm below surface) and sulfide minerals (75–97%) in anoxic sediment layers (7–18 cm) constitute the main scavengers for metals.     

Geochemistry and mineralogy of arsenic in (natural) anaerobic groundwaters

Here new data from field bioremediation experiments and geochemical modeling are reported to illustrate the principal geochemical behavior of As in anaerobic groundwaters. In the field bioremediation experiments, groundwater in Holocene alluvial aquifers in Bangladesh was amended with labile water-soluble organic C (molasses) and MgSO₄ to stimulate metabolism of indigenous SO₄-reducing bacteria (SRB). In the USA, the groundwater was contaminated by Zn, Cd and SO₄, and contained <10 μg/L As under oxidized conditions, and a mixture of sucrose and methanol were injected to stimulate SRB metabolism. In Bangladesh, groundwater was under moderately reducing conditions and contained ∼10 mg/L Fe and ∼100 μg/L As. In the USA experiment, groundwater rapidly became anaerobic, and dissolved Fe and As increased dramatically (As > 1000 μg/L) under geochemical conditions consistent with bacterial Fe-reducing conditions. With time, groundwater became more reducing and biogenic SO₄ reduction began, and Cd and Zn were virtually completely removed due to precipitation of sphalerite (ZnS) and other metal sulfide mineral(s). Following precipitation of chalcophile elements Zn and Cd, the concentrations of Fe and As both began to decrease in groundwater, presumably due to formation of As-bearing FeS/FeS₂. By the end of the six-month experiment, dissolved As had returned to below background levels. In the initial Bangladesh experiment, As decreased to virtually zero once biogenic SO₄ reduction commenced but increased to pre-experiment level once SO₄ reduction ended. In the ongoing experiment, both SO₄ and Fe(II) were amended to groundwater to evaluate if FeS/FeS₂ formation causes longer-lived As removal. Because As-bearing pyrite is the common product of SRB metabolism in Holocene alluvial aquifers in both the USA and Southeast Asia, it was endeavored to derive thermodynamic data for arsenian pyrite to better predict geochemical processes in naturally reducing groundwaters. Including the new data for arsenian pyrite into Geochemist’s Workbench, its stability field completely dominates in reducing Eh–pH space and “displaces” other As-sulfides (orpiment, realgar) that have been implied to be important in previous modeling exercises and reported in rare field conditions.     

Considerations for conducting incubations to study the mechanisms of As release in reducing groundwater aquifers

Microbial Fe reduction is widely believed to be the primary mechanism of As release from aquifer sands in Bangladesh, but alternative explanations have been proposed. Long-term incubation studies using natural aquifer material are one way to address such divergent views. This study addresses two issues related to this approach: (1) the need for suitable abiotic controls and (2) the spatial variability of the composition of aquifer sands. Four sterilization techniques were examined using orange-colored Pleistocene sediment from Bangladesh and artificial groundwater over 8 months. Acetate (10 mM) was added to sacrificial vials before sterilization using either (1) 25 kGy of gamma irradiation, (2) three 1-h autoclave cycles, (3) a single addition of an antibiotic mixture at 1× or (4) 10× the typical dose, and (5) a 10 mM addition of azide. The effectiveness of sterilization was evaluated using two indicators of microbial Fe reduction, changes in diffuse spectral reflectance and leachable Fe(II)/Fe ratios, as well as changes in P-extractable As concentrations in the solid phase. A low dose of antibiotics was ineffective after 70 days, whereas autoclaving significantly altered groundwater composition. Gamma irradiation, a high dose of antibiotics, and azide were effective for the duration of the experiment.     

Phosphorus retention by phlogopite-rich mine tailings

Sewage water rich in P poses a threat to natural water systems. In households that are not connected to a sewer network, an easily maintained purification technique is needed to remove P from domestic waste waters. In the present study, the P retention properties of phlogopite-rich mine tailings were studied to determine whether the untapped tailings can be utilised in wastewater treatment for this purpose. On the basis of its chemical and mineralogical properties, this material, produced in the enrichment process of apatite ore in Siilinjärvi, Finland, can be assumed to act as a P sorbent. The P retention capacity and the P sorption mechanisms of phlogopite-rich tailings were studied with desorption–sorption isotherms and various chemical extractions. The impact of the artificial weathering of the material as well as the reaction time and particle size on P retention were also investigated. The fluctuating shape of the isotherm determined for the untreated material suggests the operation of several sorption mechanisms. The results imply that phlogopite-rich tailings retain P efficiently through specific sorption by amorphous Al and Fe oxides and possibly also by calcite present as an accessory mineral. Acidification of the material, extended reaction time and decrease in particle-size markedly increased the P retention.     

Coupled hydrogeological and reactive transport modelling of the Simpevarp area (Sweden)

The Simpevarp area is one of the alternative sites being considered for the deep geological disposal of high level radioactive waste in Sweden. In this paper, a coupled regional groundwater flow and reactive solute transport model of the Simpevarp area is presented that integrates current hydrogeological and hydrochemical data of the area. The model simulates the current hydrochemical pattern of the groundwater system in the area. To that aim, a conceptual hydrochemical model was developed in order to represent the dominant chemical processes. Groundwater flow conditions were reproduced by taking into account fluid-density-dependent groundwater flow and regional hydrogeologic boundary conditions. Reactive solute transport calculations were performed on the basis of the velocity field so obtained. The model was calibrated and sensitivity analyses were carried out in order to investigate the effects of heterogeneities of hydraulic conductivity in the subsurface medium. Results provided by the reactive transport model are in good agreement with much of the measured hydrochemical data. This paper emphasizes the appropriateness of the use of reactive solute transport models when water-rock interaction reactions are involved, and demonstrates what powerful tools they are for the interpretation of hydrogeological and hydrochemical data from site geological repository characterization programs, by providing a qualitative framework for data analysis and testing of conceptual assumptions in a process-oriented approach.