Hydrogeophysical and Hydrochemical Assessment of the Northeastern Coastal Aquifer of Egypt for Desalination Suitability

Abstract

Recently the limited freshwater resources have become one of the most significant challenges facing Egypt. Thus, new resources of drinkable water are required to meet the growing population demands and the national projects, to support the country’s economy. Saline groundwater desalination is an option that can support limited freshwater resources. This research represents a detailed analysis of hydrogeological and hydrochemical characteristics of a coastal aquifer in the West Port Said area, northeastern Egypt, to assess the desalination suitability of the aquifer, especially when the nearby seawater is contaminated. The hydrogeological characterization included various integrated approaches: geophysical survey, field investigations, wells drilling, well logging, pumping tests, and water sampling. The results show that: (1) The subsurface lithology consists of sandstone and clay, and three water bearing layers: A, B and C. (2) The average porosity values are 22%, 27.5%, and 25% for layers A, B, and C, respectively. The hydraulic conductivity values fall in the ranges of 5.8–12.7 m/day for layer A, 7.6–11.7 m/day for layer B, and 11.1–19.5 m/day for layer C, while the highest transmissivity values are in ranges of 5.8 × 102–12.7 × 102 m2/day for layer A, 7.6 × 102–11.7 × 102 m2/day for layer B and 11.1 × 102–19.5 × 102 m2/day for layer C. (3) The average storage values are 2.1 × 10−3, 1.8 × 10−3 and 5.3 × 10−3 in layers A, B and C, respectively. (4) Layers A and B showed Na-Cl-type, similar to seawater, but free from oil pollution. These results show layer B’s higher productivity and better quality. Despite the salinity, desalination technology can improve.

Salinity-Induced Changes in Heavy Metal Behavior and Mobility in Semi-Arid Coastal Aquifers: A Comprehensive Review

“…Considering salinization in the coastal aquifer as a prominent scenario, the mobility of Cd could be due to various environmental conditions such as the presence of hydrous oxides, clay minerals, and organic matter, and its mobility is further influenced by pH, the redox state, and ionic strength of the solution [107]. In the current consideration, Cd-Cl ligand formation seemed prominent in EM, Egypt [62] and NW-C, India [63], irrespective of their source, indicating the seawater carrying Cl-complex formation in the aquifers. This could be denoted by stable inorganic formation constants of Cd (e.g., CdCl + , CdCl 2 , CdCl 3 ) as determined by [122] and explained in Equation ( 1).…”

“…The recent trend of weathering of bedrock, volcanic emissions, flushing watersheds, seawater intrusions [58,59], and influential factors like rapid urbanization, increasing population, mining, and agricultural activities along the coastal areas have contributed toward higher concentrations of heavy metals in coastal aquifers [60]. Various researchers have suggested that saline water intrusion into coastal aquifers has greater control over metal solutes through chemical processes like dissolution, oxidation and reduction, acidification, absorption and desorption and Fe/Mn/Al-hydroxide coprecipitation depending upon the residence time, groundwater flow, and the depth of water [54,59,[61][62][63]. Studies by [61] further confirmed that freshwater-seawater transition zone increased the concentration of metals such as Fe, As, Mn, and Ba compared to terrestrial freshwater discharge in the aquifers.…”

Numerical Simulation of Geophysical Models to Detect Mining Tailings’ Leachates within Tailing Storage Facilities

“…Geophysical techniques are extensively employed for the monitoring of groundwater contamination, which can arise from diverse sources, including hydrocarbon contamination [7,8], landfills [9,10], saline water intrusions [11,12], and mine tailings [13,14]. These techniques are cost-effective, repeatable, rapid, and non-destructive during data acquisition.…”

Mapping Leachate Pathways in Aging Mining Tailings Pond Using Electrical Resistivity Tomography

“…Geophysical techniques are extensively employed for the monitoring of groundwater contamination, which can arise from diverse sources, including hydrocarbon contamination [12,13], landfills [14,15], and saline water intrusions [16,17]. Non-invasive geophysical techniques, particularly electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), have emerged as invaluable tools for hydrogeological studies and the mapping of mine waste tailings [18][19][20][21][22].…”