The cleaning capacity of a MAR strategy (MAR: Managed Aquifer Recharge) that covers conventional treatment in waste water treatment plants, soil passage and storage in the aquifer, was investigated in the lab and in the field. The results expand and enhance the understanding of biological processes in artificial groundwater recharge.
The risk of micropollutant accumulation in the water cycle is particularly high in arid regions. Soil passage, as a natural barrier to groundwater, can make a valuable contribution to retaining foreign substances and hygienically relevant microbes. Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) uses natural processes to reduce substances. The aim of this project was therefore to test and demonstrate the cleaning capacity of a MAR strategy that covers conventional treatment in waste water treatment plants, soil passage and storage in the aquifer to contribute to expanding and enhancing the understanding of the biological processes.
By sampling east (Jordan) and west (West Bank) of the Jordan valley, the presence of micropollutants in waste water treatment plant discharges, surface waters and groundwater was investigated for the first time. This field data was then used to select substances for laboratory experiments.
The laboratory experiments on the degradation of micropollutants and hygienically relevant microbes were largely verified by the operation of an infiltration basin in Fuheis in the lower Jordan valley for the soil passage in the field.
The degradation behaviour was used to derive a classification of the tested substances to support the planning and operation of MAR systems.
Publications:
Schmidt N.: Elimination anthropogener organischer Spurenstoffe im Zuge der Grundwasser-Anreicherung. Veröffentlichungen aus dem Technologiezentrum Wasser, ISSN 1434-5765, TZW-Band 62 (2014)
Tiehm A., Schmidt N., Lipp P., Zawadsky C., Marei A., Seder N., Ghanem M., Paris S., Zemann M., Wolf L.: Consideration of emerging pollutants in groundwater based reuse concepts. In: Borchardt D., Ibisch R. (ed.), Integrated Water Resources Management in a Changing World. IWA Publishing, London: 67-73 (2013)
Tiehm A., Schmidt N., Lipp P., Zawadsky C., Marei A., Seder N., Ghanem M., Paris S., Zemann M., Wolf L.: Consideration of emerging pollutants in groundwater based reuse concepts. Water Science & Technology 66 (6): 1270-1276 (2012)
Tiehm A., Schmidt N., Stieber M., Sacher F., Wolf L., Hötzl H.: Biodegradation of pharmaceutical compounds and their occurrence in the Jordan valley. Water Resources Management 25 (4): 1195-1203 (2011)
Schmidt N., Lipp P., Tiehm A., Paris S.: Sustainable use of water resources: Emerging pollutants and viruses in the Jordan valley. International Journal of Water Management “blue facts” 2011: 38-43 (2011)
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