Caffeine vs. carbamazepine as indicators of wastewater pollution in a karst aquifer

Abstract

Abstract. This paper presents the analysis of caffeine and carbamazepine transport in the subsurface as a result of wastewater release in the Sorek creek over the outcrops of the carbonate, Yarkon-Taninim, aquifer in Israel. Both caffeine and carbamazepine were used as indicators of sewage contamination in the subsurface. While carbamazepine is considered conservative, caffeine is subject to sorption and degradation. The objective of the study was to quantify differences in their transport under similar conditions in the karst aquifer. Water flow and pollutant transport in a “vadose zone–aquifer” system were simulated by a quasi-3-D dual permeability numerical model. The results of this study show that each of these two pollutants can be considered effective tracers for characterization and assessment of aquifer contamination. Carbamazepine was found to be more suitable for assessing the contamination boundaries, while caffeine can be used as a contaminant tracer only briefly after contamination occurs. In instances where there are low concentrations of carbamazepine which appear as background contamination in an aquifer, caffeine might serve as a better marker for detecting new contamination events, given its temporal nature. The estimated caffeine degradation rate and the distribution coefficient of a linear sorption isotherm were 0.091 d−1 and 0.1 L kg−1, respectively, which imply a high attenuation capacity. The results of the simulation indicate that by the end of the year most of the carbamazepine mass (approximately 95 %) remained in the matrix of the vadose zone, while all of the caffeine was completely degraded a few months after the sewage was discharged.

Comparison of environmental tracers including organic micropollutants as groundwater exfiltration indicators into a small river of a karstic catchment

“…In addition, tracer‐based quantification of the GW inflow has, so far, focussed on river systems with little anthropogenic influence and predominantly in rivers embedded in geologically porous media. This is due to the complexity of karstic aquifers (Bittner, Narany, Kohl, Disse, & Chiogna, 2018) that leads to hardly comparable subsurface water flow, transport and storage mechanisms in comparison to porous aquifers (Dvory et al, 2018; Hartmann & Baker, 2017). Previous field‐based studies have focused on the interaction between karstic rock aquifers and rivers by applying hydraulic head measurements (Bailly‐Comte, Jourde, & Pistre, 2009) or artificial tracers (Barberá & Andreo, 2017).…”

Emerging organic contaminants in karst groundwater: A global level assessment

“…(Lapworth et al, 2012) and surface waters (Loos et al, 2009). and caffeine by Dvory et al (2018a). Sorenson et al (2015) found that deep groundwater in a karst aquifer was more vulnerable than previously thought.…”

Distribution of Endocrine Disruptor Chemicals and Bacteria in Saline Pétrola Lake (Albacete, SE Spain) Protected Area is Strongly Linked to Land Use

“…This makes it a pollutant that can be found in wastewater effluents, in surface waters [30] and even in groundwater [31]. Caffeine has been proposed as an indicator of wastewater pollution [32,33].…”