Control of organic contaminants in groundwater by passive sampling and multivariate statistical analysis.

Organic contaminants in groundwater are among the most challenging chemical compound contaminants today, particularly when it comes to understanding their occurrence, origin, and relations in groundwater, as well as the transport processes, fate, and environmental impacts involved. This paper presents the use of active carbon fibre (AFC) passive sampling and multivariate statistical processing of the results to predict the possible occurrence of organic compounds (OCs) in groundwater and to determine the origin of various anthropogenic activity. This study aims to deepen our knowledge on the control of OCs in groundwater by introducing a multi-analytical and multi-elemental holistic approach, using the Dravsko polje aquifer, the largest intergranular aquifer in Slovenia, as an example.

Emerging organic compounds in European groundwater.

In Europe, emerging organic compounds (EOCs) in groundwater is a growing research area. Prioritisation for monitoring EOCs in Europe was formalised in 2019 through the development of the first voluntary groundwater watch list (GWWL). Despite this, groundwater occurrence data in the peer reviewed literature for Europe has not been reviewed to date.

Estimating the transport parameters of propyphenazone, caffeine and carbamazepine by means of a tracer experiment in a coarse-gravel unsaturated zone.

Among the emerging contaminants today, pharmaceuticals are some of the most demanding chemical compounds when it comes to understanding their transport within aquifers. The transport of pharmaceuticals in an unsaturated zone is influenced by many factors, including compound sorption and degradation, which is essential in assessing contaminant migration in soil and groundwater. Coarse-gravel aquifers are particularly important for drinking water sources and industrial water supply.

Passive sampling as a tool for identifying micro-organic compounds in groundwater.

The paper presents the use of a simple and cost efficient passive sampling device with integrated active carbon with which to test the possibility of determining the presence of micro-organic compounds (MOs) in groundwater and identifying the potential source of pollution as well as the seasonal variability of contamination. Advantage of the passive sampler is to cover a long sampling period by integrating the pollutant concentration over time, and the consequently analytical costs over the monitoring period can be reduced substantially. Passive samplers were installed in 15 boreholes in the Maribor City area in Slovenia, with two sampling campaigns covered a period about one year.

Determination of micro-organic contaminants in groundwater (Maribor, Slovenia).

Micro-organic (MO) contaminants in groundwater can have adverse effects on both the environment and on human health. They enter the natural environment as a result of various processes, their presence in groundwater is the result of current anthropogenic activity and pollution loads from the past. A study on the occurrence and concentrations levels of selected contaminants in water was performed in the city of Maribor, Slovenia.