Open AccessLarge Scale Soil-Aquifer-Treatment (SAT-MAR) Physical Model Experiments to Improve Water Quality
Author(s) -
T. E. Leitão,
T. Martins,
M. J. Henriques,
J. P. Lobo-Ferreira
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
environmental engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Conference proceedings
ISSN - 2029-7092
DOI - 10.3846/enviro.2020.762
Subject(s) - environmental science , aquifer , piezometer , water quality , effluent , tracer , hydrology (agriculture) , groundwater , land reclamation , environmental engineering , vadose zone , soil science , soil water , engineering , geotechnical engineering , history , ecology , physics , archaeology , nuclear physics , biology
The effluents from agriculture practices usually contain several contaminants creating an environmentalconcern to downgradient water bodies. The use of SAT systems to improve the effluents water quality, during thetransport of infiltrated water through the unsaturated and saturated zones, can bring a solution for water reclamation,water reuse, and overall as a water resources management tool. The research was carried out under MARSOL projectwere SAT experiments were executed in a physical (sandbox) model. These experiments aimed to contribute solvingthe problem of removing rice field contaminants from water, using a soil-aquifer prototype basin to treat water prior toits discharge in Melides lagoon, Portugal. The sandbox model was divided into three sections to test the adsorptionand biodegradation capacity of three soil profiles, two of them including soil mixtures of sand with vegetal compostwith different layouts. In each section, two tracer experiments were performed with spiked fertilizer and hydrocarbons. To analyse the tracer’s behaviour, monitoring devices were installed in three piezometers for continuous in situreadings of pH, T, EC, ORP and water level, besides water sampling hand-pump for chemical analysis. The resultsobtained in the experiments gave useful knowledge necessary to build an in situ facility.