Groundwater management based on GIS techniques, chemical indicators and vulnerability to seawater intrusion modelling: application to the Mahdia–Ksour Essaf aquifer, Tunisia

In arid and semi-arid countries worldwide, conflicts between human development activities and conservation of groundwater resources are widespread and attract many public debates. This research aims to propose groundwater management alternatives for a coastal aquifer by studying its vulnerability and in particularly the risk of seawater intrusion. An additional objective is to propose some agricultural policies aimed to conserve groundwater resources in Mahdia and Ksour Essaf. Intensive groundwater mining, for irrigation and for water drinking, has caused an overexploitation of the water resources. In addition, the degradation of water quality, caused by septic tanks and intensive agricultural activities, has given rise to notable crucial state of the groundwater resources. With the aim of tackling the groundwater degradation problem, integration into a common platform of vulnerability assessment, seawater intrusion modelling and hydrochemical analysis is proposed. This platform can considerably reflect the water resources state in order to propose some solutions reducing the contamination of the Mahdia–Ksour Essaf aquifer. The groundwater management alternatives, proposed in this study, were prepared within a geographical information system.     

Gold potential of the Mpanda Mineral Field, SW Tanzania: evaluation based on geological, lead isotopic and aeromagnetic data

Gold and base metals of the Mpanda Mineral Field (MMF) is the focus of this paper. Gold veins and gold-bearing base metal occurrences are structurally controlled by conjugate sets of NW–SE and E–W trending faults and/or shear zones that crosscut high-grade metamorphic rocks and post-kinematic intrusions. It was anticipated that Palaeoproterozic country rocks could have been potential host rocks for the gold mineralisation in this area. This argumentation was based on Pb model ages of various deposits from the MMF. Recent fieldwork and Pb isotopic results presented herein indicate that epigenetic gold and base metal vein-type mineralisation in the MMF is post-Palaeoproterozoic.Our Pb isotope study concentrates on constraining the sources of metals in gold-bearing quartz reefs and base metal occurrences. Pb isotopes of whole rocks and minerals indicate that mineralisation was emplaced during the Neoproterozoic, contemporaneous with the intrusion of alkaline granites and carbonatite complexes (e.g., Sangu–Ikola carbonatite complex) at 720 Ma. The source of Pb in the mineral occurrences is compatible with that characteristic of the Palaeoproterozoic host rocks. Aeromagnetic data suggest that the gold-bearing, NNW–SSE trending area continues to the north beyond Mpanda town. Pb isotope results and aeromagnetic data have significant implications for future exploration programs within the region, in that the search should potentially focus on the defined geophysical borders and trendlines, and on Neoproterozoic, rather than Palaeoproterozoic vein systems.     

Modeling and Optimization of Fluoride and Cadmium Trapping in Phosphogypsum Using Design Methodology

The manufacturing of phosphoric acid from natural calcium phosphate generates a solid residue containing 25–30% humidity. This solid residue (phosphogypsum) generates acidic solution (pH ≈ 2.5) containing several toxic ionic species, that coat its grains. Fluorides and heavy metals such as cadmium are considered the most harmful species contained in the released solution from phosphogypsum. The purpose of this work is to study the trapping of fluorides and cadmium in phosphogypsum as well as effluent neutralization before its discharge into natural recipient. Therefore, calcium carbonate finely ground was added and fully mixed with wet phosphogypsum. A four factors central composite design was used to model and to optimize the operating parameters that govern the process. The studied factors were temperature, reaction time, mass, and grains size of CaCO₃. Considered responses were pH, F⁻, and Cd²⁺ concentrations in the released solution after reaction with CaCO₃. The optimum operating conditions were quite efficient to trap, respectively, 99% Cd²⁺ and 97% of F⁻ with a final pH of 6.66. So an original, easy, simple, and cost effective method to trap some toxic species on phosphogypsum through CaCO₃ addition would likely to be integrated in phosphoric acid manufacturing plant.     

Hydrochemical characterization of groundwater using multivariate statistical analysis: the Maritime Djeffara shallow aquifer (Southeastern Tunisia)

Worldwide, groundwater resources have been considered as the main sources of drinking, domestic uses, industrial and agriculture water demands, especially in arid and semiarid regions. Accordingly, the monitoring of the groundwater quality based on different tools and methods becomes a necessity. The aim of this study was to apply several approaches to assess the water quality and to define the main hydrochemical process which affect groundwater of the Maritime Djeffara shallow aquifer. In addition to the hydrochemical approach, two multivariate statistical analyses, hierarchical clusters analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA), were carried out to identify the natural and the anthropogenic processes affecting groundwater chemistry. Hydrochemical approach, based on 47 analyzed groundwater samples, shows that most of samples present a sulfate to mixed chloride, with sodi-potassic tendency facies. According to their chemically composition, the HCA revealed three different groups (C1, C2 and C3) according to their electrical conductivity (EC) values: C1 (average EC = 4500 µS/cm), C2 (average EC = 7040 µS/cm) and C3 (average EC = 9767 µS/cm). Furthermore, PCA results show two principal factors account 84.05% of the total variance: (1) F1 represents the natural component, and (2) F2 symbolizes the anthropic component. Moreover, the groundwater quality map of the Maritime Djeffara shows three categories: suitable, doubtful and unsuitable water for irrigation. These different results should be taken to protect water resources in arid and semiarid regions, especially at the alluvial coastal regions. Also, they help to make a suitable planning to manage and protect the groundwater resources.     

Investigation of heat pipe heat exchanger effectiveness and energy saving in air conditioning systems using silver nanofluid

The present study attempts to use the methanol?Csilver nanofluid filled heat pipe heat exchanger and compares the effectiveness as well as the energy saving with pure methanol. A heat pipe heat exchanger has been tested in a test rig under steady-state conditions. The lengths of both the evaporator and the condenser sections of the heat exchanger were 700?mm, and its central adiabatic section had a length of 160?mm. The heat exchanger had 36 plate finned copper thermosyphons arranged in three rows. The inlet air temperature across the evaporator section was varied in the range of 33?C43?°C while the inlet air temperature to the condenser section was nearly constant to be 13?°C. First, pure methanol was used as the working fluid with a fill ratio of 50?% of the evaporator section length, and then dilute dispersion of silver nanoparticles in methanol was employed as the working fluid. The nanofluid used in the present study is 20?nm diameter silver nanoparticles. The experiments were performed to compare the heat pipe heat exchanger effectiveness and energy saving, using nanofluid and pure methanol. The inlet air relative humidity across the evaporator section was varied between 35 and 80?%. The sensible effectiveness of the heat pipe heat exchanger obtained from experiments varied about 5?C22?% for pure methanol and 9?C32?% for methanol?Csilver nanofluid. Based on these experimental results, using methanol?Csilver nanofluid leads to energy saving around 8.8?C31.5?% for cooling and 18?C100?% for reheating the supply air stream in an air conditioning system.