Groundwater pollution: Occurrence, detection, and remediation of organic and inorganic pollutants

Abstract

Groundwater pollution is a result of natural and anthropogenic activities. While the elevated levels of various inorganic constituents could be attributed to natural processes, such as geological weathering and aquifer characteristics, many times, anthropogenic activities also substantially pollute the groundwater. On the contrary, the occurrence of organic pollutants is primarily due to various anthropogenic activities. Extensive groundwater mining, the hydraulic connection between groundwater and other surface water bodies, and leaking underground buried infrastructure also contribute to groundwater pollution. Water resources are scarce commodities, and preserving groundwater quality is of critical concern. This paper documents instances of groundwater quality impact during the year 2019 due to both natural and anthropogenic activities throughout the world.

Chemical characteristics of groundwater and source identification in a coastal city

“…With the accelerated process of global climate change, researchers have gradually realized that environmental changes and human activities have a huge impact on natural resources [ 1 ]. However, groundwater resources are easily ignored because of their strong concealment, long water quality evolution time and complex components [ 2 ].…”

Conservation Studies on Groundwaters’ Pollution: Challenges and Perspectives for Stygofauna Communities

“…Moreover, groundwaters may also host relict species belonging to phylogenetic lineages that disappeared on the surface [12]. Groundwaters are environments with peculiar hydrogeological features, which are considered among the most fragile natural environments of the world [13]. In these environments is held the biggest reservoir of unfrozen freshwater, thus they represent a fundamental resource for life on Earth [14].…”

“…Species that inhabit and only complete their life cycle in groundwaters are called stygobionts (the suffix "stygo" derives from the river Styx, the river flowing in the mythological Greek underworld). They show the highest degree of adaptation to subterranean environments and are often characterized by Sustainability 2021, 13, 7030 2 of 12 peculiar morphological features such as anophthalmia, depigmentation, and elongation of appendages (Pipan and Culver 2012, Romero 2009). Nevertheless, also species that are not strictly linked to groundwater can exploit such environments for a substantial part of their life, being able to reproduce there [15,16].…”

“…Some of them are already well known derivatives from mining activity from direct use of water resources during material washing or linked to the percolating waters in abandoned mines that can spread high contents of heavy metals [30,31]. Some others are emerging contaminants which only recently started to pose threatens for aquifers [13] and, potentially, for their fauna [32]. As an example, there is an increasing pollution of groundwaters derived from pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCP), in which compounds can be detected in both urban and rural agricultural areas [13].…”

“…Some others are emerging contaminants which only recently started to pose threatens for aquifers [13] and, potentially, for their fauna [32]. As an example, there is an increasing pollution of groundwaters derived from pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCP), in which compounds can be detected in both urban and rural agricultural areas [13]. Moreover, perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) were reported to impact groundwaters after having moved through soil matrices, as observed in Australia [33], and even aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF) that are typically used in firefighting operations may pollute groundwaters [34].…”