Chemical characterization of rainwater at Akkalkuwa, India

The chemical composition of rainwater changes from place to place and region to region under the influence of several major factors, viz., topography, its distance from sea and overall rainfall pattern. The present study investigated the chemical composition of precipitation at Akkalkuwa, district Nandurbar, in the State Maharashtra during southwest monsoon. The rainwater samples were collected on event basis during June-September 2008 and were analyzed for pH, major anions (F, Cl, NO3, SO4) and cations (Ca, Mg, Na, K, NH4). The pH varied from 6.0 and 6.8 with an average of 6.29 ± 0.23 indicating alkaline nature and dominance of Ca in precipitation. The relative magnitude of major ions in precipitation follows the pattern as Ca>Cl>Na>SO4>NO3>HCO3>NH4>Mg>K>F>H. The Neutralization factor (NF) was found to be NFCa = 0.95, NFNH4 = 0.31, NFMg = 0.27 and NFK = 0.08 indicating below cloud process in which crustal components are responsible for neutralization of anions. Significant correlation of NH4 with SO4 and NO3 was observed with correlation coefficient of r = 0.79 and 0.75, respectively.

Spatial and seasonal variability in the water chemistry of Kabar Tal wetland (Ramsar site), Bihar, India: multivariate statistical techniques and GIS approach

This study was performed to evaluate the spatial and temporal distribution of major ions in water samples of a newly designated Ramsar site, namely Kabar Tal (KT) wetland of Bihar. Samples were collected during summer, monsoon, and winter seasons. The analytical and GIS results show that concentration of electrical conductivity, chloride, and nitrate are higher in summer than monsoon and winter. However, the concentration of major cations such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium are higher in winter than monsoon and summer. In addition, major anions like sulphate and phosphate concentration is higher during monsoon than summer and winter. Multivariate statistical tool (Discriminant Analysis) results suggest that temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, sulphate, and potassium are the major parameters distinguishing the water quality in different seasons. The study confirms that seasonal variations are playing a major role in the hydrochemistry of KT wetland. Overall, this work outlines the approach towards proper conservation and utilization of wetlands and to assess the quality of surface water for determining its suitability for agricultural purposes. Overall, this work highlights the approach towards estimating the seasonal dynamics of chemical species in KT wetland and its suitability for irrigation purposes.

Occurrence of Botryococcus terribilis Komárek & Marvan in a small sandpit lake: The first report from Serbia

Alkaline saline ponds and lakes are habitats with unique biodiversity. The green alga of the genus Botryococcus was accidentally discovered during a micro-algal survey of these habitats in Serbia. Species B. terribilis was found and identified for the first time in Serbia in the small sandpit lake of the Rusanda Nature Park. The first sampling was incomplete due to the unknown origin of the orange-red surface scum. After the identity of the species had been confirmed, three additional samplings were conducted aiming to collect phytoplankton and water samples for physical and chemical analyses. Major anions and cations were analysed in order to characterize the chemical type of sandpit lake, as well as nutrient content. Sandpit lake is an alkaline water body that belongs to sodium bicarbonate chemical type. Morphometric analysis of B. terribilis was performed using light and transmission electron microscopy. B. terribilis was found to be numerous in the phytoplankton community in late autumn and winter. Species from the genus Botryococcus are known as a rich source of different lipids and this discovery can be the first step in the further biotechnological application of this species in sustainable biofuel production.

Occurrence of Uranium in Groundwater from Cuddalore District Tamil Nadu Aided by Geospatial and Statistical Techniques

An attempt has been made to examine uranium distribution in groundwater from Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu, India. Groundwater occurs under porous sedimentary, fractured, and weathered hard rock formations ranging in age from recent sediments to the oldest Archean formations. A total of 186 groundwater samples were collected during Pre- Monsoon (May) and Post-monsoon (January) and analyzed for major cations, anions, and uranium using standard procedures. Major anions and cations follow the order Cl- >H4SiO4>HCO3- >NO3- > Na+> Ca2+> Mg2+>K+>SO42- > F-> PO43- irrespective of seasons. Uranium in groundwater ranges from 0.1 micro gram per liter (µg/l ) to 24.67 µg/l with average 1.82 µg/l. The spatial representation maps isolated areas of higher and lower uranium and statistical analysis inferred uranium sources to the groundwater environment.

Geochemical and multivariate assessment of water quality in the Rajarani Lake, Dhankuta, Nepal

The Himalayan freshwater lakes embody treasure of the country, crystal-clear nature of which offers water for drinking, irrigation and other domestic purposes, and provides shelter to numerous species, preserve aquatic biodiversity and habitat of the area. Freshwater lake is one of the major sources of livelihood amenities in Nepal and replenishes groundwater, positively influence the quality of downstream watercourses. In the present study, 20 water samples were collected from different points of Rajarani Lake, and analyzed for water temperature, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), oxygen-reduction potential (ORP), turbidity, dissolved oxygen (DO),total hardness (TH), major cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+ and NH4+) and major anions (HCO3-, Cl-, NO3-, and PO43-). The acquired data were interpreted using multivariate statistical technique with principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) to evaluate controlling factors and characteristics of sampling locations in the lake.PCA results demonstrated major three factors contributing to water quality in lake with a 73.89% of cumulative variance. Similarly, CA results characterized sampling locations into four clusters indicating differentiation in the chemical concentrations. Results of the assessment through PCA, CA and comparison with other Himalayan lakes indicated that Rajarani Lake is not severely affected by pollution because it is still unexplored and thus pristine in nature. This study suggests that water quality of lake environments needs to be further investigated, focusing on depth-wise and temporal levels for its sustainability.

Concentration Variability of Water-Soluble Ions during the Acceptable and Exceeded Pollution in an Industrial Region

This study investigates the chemical composition of water-soluble inorganic ions at eight localities situated in the Moravian–Silesian Region (the Czech Republic) at the border with Poland. Water-soluble inorganic ions were monitored in the winter period of 2018 (January, 11 days and February, 5 days). The set was divided into two periods: the acceptable period (the 24-h concentration of PM10 < 50 µg/m3) and the period with exceeded pollution (PM10 ˃ 50 µg/m3). Air quality in the Moravian–Silesian Region and Upper Silesia is among the most polluted in Europe, especially in the winter season when the concentration of PM10 is repeatedly exceeded. The information on the occurrence and behaviour of water-soluble inorganic ions in the air during the smog episodes in Europe is insufficient. The concentrations of water-soluble ions (chlorides, sulphates, nitrates, ammonium ions, potassium) during the exceeded period are higher by two to three times compared with the acceptable period. The major anions for both acceptable period and exceeded pollution are nitrates. During the period of exceeded pollution, percentages of water-soluble ions in PM10 decrease while percentages of carbonaceous matter and insoluble particles (fly ash) increase.

Monitoring Seasonal Variation in Important Physio-Chemical Parameters of Arabian Seawater at Karachi Used for Feeding SWRO

This study reports the analysis of various parameters of seawater upto 3 years used for feeding to seawater desalination (SWRO) plant at French Beach, Arabian sea, Karachi city, Pakistan. The work highlights the monitoring of essential parameters of seawater intake to reverse osmosis plant for pre-treatment loop designing and optimizing the operational cost. The study was planned as limited data was available internationally from this region, which includes pH, turbidity, temperature, total dissolved solids (TDS) and total suspended solids (TSS) allied with seasonal variations before pretreatment and after getting permeate. The water production capacity of SWRO plant is 100,000 gallon per day having Filmtech polyamide membrane and equipped with energy recovery turbine. It was observed in the period since 2015 to 2017, the monitoring of intake samples i.e. pH, turbidity and temperature showed variation in the range of 7.9-8.1, 8-34 NTU and 21-29 ºC, respectively. The observed value of TDS and TSS of seawater were 38.0-39.5 g/L and 18-48 mg/L, respectively. The concentrations of soft metals in seawater were found to be in order of Na > Mg > Ca > K while major anions were Cl− >SO4 2−. The TDS and pH of permeate water found to be in the range of 150-500 mg/L and 6.0-7.5 respectively, while other parameters were within WHO limit.

The Analysis of the Chemical Composition of Precipitation During the Driest Year from the Last Decade

In order to investigate the precipitation chemistry, studies were carried out from January 2013 to December 2013 in Odorheiu Secuiesc and Miercurea Ciuc, Eastern Carpathians, Romania. During a period of eleven years (2006 – 2016), 2013 was the driest year. The rainwater samples were analyzed for pH, major anions and cations. HCO3− concentrations were calculated based on the empirical relationship between pH and HCO3−. NH4+, Ca2+, SO42− were the dominant ions in precipitation at both sites. The pH values varied from 6.75 to 7.46 Miercurea Ciuc, and from 6.69 to 7.67 in Odorheiu Secuiesc. The neutralization was mainly brought by Ca2+ and NH4+. Estimated ratios of sea-salt fraction (SSF), non-sea-salt fraction (NSSF), and results from Spearman’s rank correlation and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), showed that the acidic ions (SO42−, NO3−) were derived from anthropogenic activities, NH4+ from soil fertilization, while Ca2+, Mg2+, K+ originated from terrestrial source. These influence the precipitations ionic content, especially during droughts. Spatial variations and the rim effect of the Eastern Carpathians on precipitation chemistry is also shown.

Environmental study of groundwater in southwest of Baghdad, Yusufiyah using GIS

Ground water hydrochemical study in Yusufiyah depends upon (25) wells where major cations and anions were obtained as well as trace elements. The hydrochemical properties include the study of (pH, EC, TDS, and TH). The groundwater of the study area is odorless and colorless except the wells (13 and 16) with a salty taste due to the elevated (TDS) concentration in it, where the wells depth ranges between 7-20 meters. Depth of water in these wells was about 25-35 meters above sea level. Groundwater generally flows from east to west and from north east to south west. The resource of groundwater depends upon surface water. Physical specifications are measured in the water samples included temperature, color, taste, odor, pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and total dissolved solids (TDS). The chemical specifications included major cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, and K+) and major anions (NO3, SO42- ,Cl-, and HCO3-) in addition to the trace elements (Fe, Ni, Co, Cd, Cu, Zn, Pb, Mn). The groundwater in the study area is polluted with some heavy elements like (Fe, Ni, Cd and Pb) because their concentrations are higher than the permissible limits according to WHO (2007) and IQS (2009).