Hydrogeochemistry of Groundwater and Arsenic Adsorption Characteristics of Subsurface Sediments in an Alluvial Plain, SW Taiwan

Abstract

Many studies were conducted to investigate arsenic mobilization in different alluvial plains worldwide. However, due to the unique endemic disease associated with arsenic (As) contamination in Taiwan, a recent research was re-initiated to understand the transport behavior of arsenic in a localized alluvial plain. A comprehensive approach towards arsenic mobility, binding, and chemical speciation was applied to correlate groundwater hydrogeochemistry with parameters of the sediments that affected the As fate and transport. The groundwater belongs to a Na-Ca-HCO 3 type with moderate reducing to oxidizing conditions (redox potential = −192 to 8 mV). Groundwater As concentration in the region ranged from 8.89 to 1131 µg/L with a mean of 343 ± 297 µg/L, while the As content in the core sediments varied from 0.80 to 22.8 mg/kg with a mean of 9.9 ± 6.2 mg/kg. A significant correlation was found between As and Fe, Mn, or organic matter, as well as other elements such as Ni, Cu, Zn, and Co in the core sediments. Sequential extraction analysis indicated that the organic matter and Fe/Mn oxyhydroxides were the major binding pools of As. Batch adsorption experiments showed that the sediments had slightly higher affinity for As(III) than for As(V) under near neutral pH conditions and the As adsorption capacity increased as the contents of Fe oxyhydroxides as well as the organic matter increased.

Hydrogeological Analysis of Cretaceous and Tertiary Aquifers in Semiarid Sokoto Basin, Northwestern Nigeria: Implications for Sustainable Groundwater Development

“…Excellent groundwater potentials typify the global sedimentary aquifers. However, they are pressured by increased groundwater mining with its resultant consequences of lowering the water table and further depletion propelled by climate change and uncontrolled anthropological activities [96][97][98][99][100][101][102][103].…”

Microbial Electrochemical Technologies

“…Biologically, As(III) is about 60 times more toxic than As(V) (USEPA 2011). Its presence in natural water could be related to leaching from rocks and sediments (Hering and Elimelech 1995) or to anthropic activities such as agricultural or industrial practices (Jadhav et al 2015, Liao et al 2016). In the first case, rocks naturally containing As can cause its dissolution in groundwater (Barringer et al 2010); in the others, cause of the pollution may lie in the use (or overuse) of As-containing materials such as dyes, wood preservatives, pesticides, pharmaceutical substances, additives, etc., (Mandal and Suzuki 2002) that may also accumulate in the groundwater (Khaska et al 2015), sediments and surface waters (Barringer et al 2010).…”

Bioelectrochemical Systems for Removal of Selected Metals and Perchlorate from Groundwater: A Review

“…Biologically, As(III) is about 60 times more toxic than As(V) [63]. The presence of arsenic in groundwater is related to anthropic activities (mainly agricultural or industrial practices) [64,65] or to the leaching from rocks and sediments [66]. In the former case, the cause of the contamination may lie in the use (or overuse) of As-containing materials (dyes, wood preservatives, pesticides, pharmaceutical substances, additives) [67] that may also accumulate in groundwater, sediments, and surface water [68][69][70].…”