On the behaviour of contaminants of emerging concern under different physico-chemical conditions induced by anthropogenic activities in urban aquifers.
Urban aquifers are a strategic resource for the development of cities, which are expected to amass 70% of the world population by 2050. However, a vast array of organic pollutants, like contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), are continuously introduced in aquifers by different recharge sources. CECs, which have been increasingly reported in groundwater, pose ecological risks even at trace levels, including interference with the endocrine system of organisms, microbiological resistance and accumulation in ecosystems. Furthermore, their effects on human health, soil, plants and animals are largely unknown. In this context, CECs must be removed from groundwater to safely use it to cover the growing demand of tap water and as a strategic resource at specific times (e.g., droughts). The degradation rate of organic contaminants depends, among others, on the redox conditions and the water temperature, and both vary noticeably in urban aquifers as a result of anthropogenic activities, like Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES). Therefore, to understand the behaviour of common CECs under different physico-chemical conditions is of paramount importance to predict their behaviour in urban contexts and design remediation strategies. Thus, we are developing a set of laboratory experiments under different physico-chemical conditions (i.e., temperature and redox) that can be found in urban aquifers to determine the behaviour of different CECs . A suite of representative CECs (reported in the city of Barcelona, Spain) representing a broad range of physicochemical properties and (a)biotic reactivity has been chosen to conduct experiments. Our results will have significant implications for predicting the behaviour of organic contaminants in urban aquifers while improving existing remediation strategies.
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | comunicación de congreso biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2021-12
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| Subjects: | Contaminants, |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/262001 |
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| Summary: | Urban aquifers are a strategic resource for the development of cities, which are expected to amass 70% of the world population by 2050. However, a vast array of organic pollutants, like contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), are continuously introduced in aquifers by different recharge sources. CECs, which have been increasingly reported in groundwater, pose ecological risks even at trace levels, including interference with the endocrine system of organisms, microbiological resistance and accumulation in ecosystems. Furthermore, their effects on human health, soil, plants and animals are largely unknown. In this context, CECs must be removed from groundwater to safely use it to cover the growing demand of tap water and as a strategic resource at specific times (e.g., droughts).
The degradation rate of organic contaminants depends, among others, on the redox conditions and the water temperature, and both vary noticeably in urban aquifers as a result of anthropogenic activities, like Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES). Therefore, to understand the behaviour of common CECs under different physico-chemical conditions is of paramount importance to predict their behaviour in urban contexts and design remediation strategies.
Thus, we are developing a set of laboratory experiments under different physico-chemical conditions (i.e., temperature and redox) that can be found in urban aquifers to determine the behaviour of different CECs . A suite of representative CECs (reported in the city of Barcelona, Spain) representing a broad range of physicochemical properties and (a)biotic reactivity has been chosen to conduct experiments. Our results will have significant implications for predicting the behaviour of organic contaminants in urban aquifers while improving existing remediation strategies. |
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