Influence of shallow geothermal energy on the behaviour of organic contaminants of emerging concern in urban aquifers
Urban aquifers are a valuable resource of freshwater for cities, however, their quality is degraded due to the presence of organic contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). The effects of organic CECs are largely unknown, but there is evidence that they pose a risk for human health, soil, plants and animals. Organic CECs are naturally degraded in aquifers and their degradation rates depend on the physico-chemical properties, i.e., redox conditions and groundwater temperature. Some anthropogenic activities, like low-enthalpy geothermal energy (LEGE), may modify subsurface physico-chemical conditions altering the behaviour of organic CECs. LEGE is a renewable and carbon-free energy that allows obtaining cooling and heating energy. The utilization of LEGE is currently growing and it is expected that in a near future the density of LEGE systems will increase. LEGE modifies the groundwater temperature and in some situations the redox state (i.e., if the dissolved oxygen increases when groundwater is returned to the aquifer as a result of a poorly design), thus, it is of paramount importance to determine the impact of LEGE related activities on the behaviour of organic CECs. The behaviour of organic CECs under the influence of LEGE is investigated by means of thermo-hydro-chemical numerical modelling. Simulation output shows that LEGE activities have the potential to modify the degradation rates of organic CECs, and thus, their concentrations in aquifers. In the simulated scenario, the concentration of the chosen CEC decreases by the 77 % at the downgradient boundary of the model. The results of this study have significant implications for predicting the behaviour of organic CECs in urban aquifers and suggest specific changes in the design of LEGE facilities aiming to improve the quality of urban groundwater by boosting in-situ attenuation mechanisms.
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Format: | artículo biblioteca |
Language: | English |
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European Geosciences Union
2022-10-19
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Subjects: | Urban aquifers, Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), |
Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/281466 https://doi.org/10.5194/adgeo-59-9-2022 http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004837 |
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dig-idaea-es-10261-2814662022-11-04T16:16:58Z Influence of shallow geothermal energy on the behaviour of organic contaminants of emerging concern in urban aquifers Pujades, Estanislao Scheiber, Laura Teixidó, Marc Criollo, Rotman Nikolenko, Olha Vilarrasa, Víctor Vázquez-Suñé, Enric Jurado, Anna Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España) Vilarrasa, Víctor [0000-0003-1169-4469] Urban aquifers Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) Urban aquifers are a valuable resource of freshwater for cities, however, their quality is degraded due to the presence of organic contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). The effects of organic CECs are largely unknown, but there is evidence that they pose a risk for human health, soil, plants and animals. Organic CECs are naturally degraded in aquifers and their degradation rates depend on the physico-chemical properties, i.e., redox conditions and groundwater temperature. Some anthropogenic activities, like low-enthalpy geothermal energy (LEGE), may modify subsurface physico-chemical conditions altering the behaviour of organic CECs. LEGE is a renewable and carbon-free energy that allows obtaining cooling and heating energy. The utilization of LEGE is currently growing and it is expected that in a near future the density of LEGE systems will increase. LEGE modifies the groundwater temperature and in some situations the redox state (i.e., if the dissolved oxygen increases when groundwater is returned to the aquifer as a result of a poorly design), thus, it is of paramount importance to determine the impact of LEGE related activities on the behaviour of organic CECs. The behaviour of organic CECs under the influence of LEGE is investigated by means of thermo-hydro-chemical numerical modelling. Simulation output shows that LEGE activities have the potential to modify the degradation rates of organic CECs, and thus, their concentrations in aquifers. In the simulated scenario, the concentration of the chosen CEC decreases by the 77 % at the downgradient boundary of the model. The results of this study have significant implications for predicting the behaviour of organic CECs in urban aquifers and suggest specific changes in the design of LEGE facilities aiming to improve the quality of urban groundwater by boosting in-situ attenuation mechanisms. This research has been supported by the Barcelona city council through the Award for Scientific Research into Urban Challenges in the City of Barcelona 2020 (20S08708) and by the grants PID2021-128995OA-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033T and FEDER “one way to make Europe”, CEX2018-000794-S funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and RYC2020-029225-I funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and “ESF Investing in your future”. We acknowledge support of the publication fee by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI). Peer reviewed 2022-10-24T09:24:54Z 2022-10-24T09:24:54Z 2022-10-19 artículo Advances in Geosciences 59: 9–15 (2022) http://hdl.handle.net/10261/281466 https://doi.org/10.5194/adgeo-59-9-2022 http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004837 en #PLACEHOLDER_PARENT_METADATA_VALUE# info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 Publisher's version https://doi.org/10.5194/adgeo-59-9-2022 Sí open European Geosciences Union |
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Urban aquifers Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) Urban aquifers Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) |
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Urban aquifers Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) Urban aquifers Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) Pujades, Estanislao Scheiber, Laura Teixidó, Marc Criollo, Rotman Nikolenko, Olha Vilarrasa, Víctor Vázquez-Suñé, Enric Jurado, Anna Influence of shallow geothermal energy on the behaviour of organic contaminants of emerging concern in urban aquifers |
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Urban aquifers are a valuable resource of freshwater for cities, however, their quality is degraded due to the presence of organic contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). The effects of organic CECs are largely unknown, but there is evidence that they pose a risk for human health, soil, plants and animals. Organic CECs are naturally degraded in aquifers and their degradation rates depend on the physico-chemical properties, i.e., redox conditions and groundwater temperature. Some anthropogenic activities, like low-enthalpy geothermal energy (LEGE), may modify subsurface physico-chemical conditions altering the behaviour of organic CECs. LEGE is a renewable and carbon-free energy that allows obtaining cooling and heating energy. The utilization of LEGE is currently growing and it is expected that in a near future the density of LEGE systems will increase. LEGE modifies the groundwater temperature and in some situations the redox state (i.e., if the dissolved oxygen increases when groundwater is returned to the aquifer as a result of a poorly design), thus, it is of paramount importance to determine the impact of LEGE related activities on the behaviour of organic CECs. The behaviour of organic CECs under the influence of LEGE is investigated by means of thermo-hydro-chemical numerical modelling. Simulation output shows that LEGE activities have the potential to modify the degradation rates of organic CECs, and thus, their concentrations in aquifers. In the simulated scenario, the concentration of the chosen CEC decreases by the 77 % at the downgradient boundary of the model. The results of this study have significant implications for predicting the behaviour of organic CECs in urban aquifers and suggest specific changes in the design of LEGE facilities aiming to improve the quality of urban groundwater by boosting in-situ attenuation mechanisms. |
author2 |
Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España) |
author_facet |
Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España) Pujades, Estanislao Scheiber, Laura Teixidó, Marc Criollo, Rotman Nikolenko, Olha Vilarrasa, Víctor Vázquez-Suñé, Enric Jurado, Anna |
format |
artículo |
topic_facet |
Urban aquifers Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) |
author |
Pujades, Estanislao Scheiber, Laura Teixidó, Marc Criollo, Rotman Nikolenko, Olha Vilarrasa, Víctor Vázquez-Suñé, Enric Jurado, Anna |
author_sort |
Pujades, Estanislao |
title |
Influence of shallow geothermal energy on the behaviour of organic contaminants of emerging concern in urban aquifers |
title_short |
Influence of shallow geothermal energy on the behaviour of organic contaminants of emerging concern in urban aquifers |
title_full |
Influence of shallow geothermal energy on the behaviour of organic contaminants of emerging concern in urban aquifers |
title_fullStr |
Influence of shallow geothermal energy on the behaviour of organic contaminants of emerging concern in urban aquifers |
title_full_unstemmed |
Influence of shallow geothermal energy on the behaviour of organic contaminants of emerging concern in urban aquifers |
title_sort |
influence of shallow geothermal energy on the behaviour of organic contaminants of emerging concern in urban aquifers |
publisher |
European Geosciences Union |
publishDate |
2022-10-19 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10261/281466 https://doi.org/10.5194/adgeo-59-9-2022 http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004837 |
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