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Iqbal J, Su C, Ahmad M, Baloch MYJ, Rashid A, Ullah Z, Abbas H, Nigar A, Ali A, Ullah A. Hydrogeochemistry and prediction of arsenic contamination in groundwater of Vehari, Pakistan: comparison of artificial neural network, random forest and logistic regression models. ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY AND HEALTH 2023; 46:14. [PMID: 38147177 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-023-01782-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
Arsenic contamination in the groundwater occurs in various parts of the world due to anthropogenic and natural sources, adversely affecting human health and ecosystems. The current study intends to examine the groundwater hydrogeochemistry containing elevated arsenic (As), predict As levels in groundwater, and determine the aptness of groundwater for drinking in the Vehari district, Pakistan. Four hundred groundwater samples from the study region were collected for physiochemical analysis. As levels in groundwater samples ranged from 0.1 to 52 μg/L, with an average of 11.64 μg/L, (43.5%), groundwater samples exceeded the WHO 2022 recommended limit of 10 μg/L for drinking purposes. Ion-exchange processes and the adsorption of ions significantly impacted the concentration of As. The HCO3- and Na+ are the dominant ions in the study area, and the water types of samples were CaHCO3, mixed CaMgCl, and CaCl, demonstrating that rock-water contact significantly impacts hydrochemical behavior. The geochemical modeling indicated negative saturation indices with calcium carbonate and other salt minerals, encompassing aragonite, calcite, dolomite, and halite. The dissolution mechanism suggested that these minerals might have implications for the mobilization of As in groundwater. A combination of human-induced and natural sources of contamination was unveiled through principal component analysis (PCA). Artificial neural networks (ANN), random forest (RF), and logistic regression (LR) were used to predict As in the groundwater. The data have been divided into two parts for statistical analysis: 20% for testing and 80% for training. The most significant input variables for As prediction was determined using Chi-squared analysis. The receiver operating characteristic area under the curve and confusion matrix were used to evaluate the models; the RF, ANN, and LR accuracies were 0.89, 0.85, and 0.76. The permutation feature and mean decrease in impurity determine ten parameters that influence groundwater arsenic in the study region, including F-, Fe2+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Cl-, SO42-, NO3-, HCO3-, and Na+. The present study shows RF is the best model for predicting groundwater As contamination in the research area. The water quality index showed that 161 samples represent poor water, and 121 samples are unsuitable for drinking. Establishing effective strategies and regulatory measures is imperative in Vehari to ensure the sustainability of groundwater resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javed Iqbal
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Source Apportionment and Control of Aquatic Pollution, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Chunli Su
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China.
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Source Apportionment and Control of Aquatic Pollution, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China.
| | - Maqsood Ahmad
- School of Geography and Information Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | | | - Abdur Rashid
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Source Apportionment and Control of Aquatic Pollution, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Zahid Ullah
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Source Apportionment and Control of Aquatic Pollution, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Hasnain Abbas
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Source Apportionment and Control of Aquatic Pollution, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Anam Nigar
- School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, 130022, China
| | - Asmat Ali
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Source Apportionment and Control of Aquatic Pollution, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Arif Ullah
- Institute of Geological Survey, China University of Geosciences, 388 Lumo Road, Wuhan, 430074, China
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Lu J, Geng R, Zhang H, Yu Z, Chen T, Zhang B. Concurrent reductive decontamination of chromium (VI) and uranium (VI) in groundwater by Fe(0)-based autotrophic bioprocess. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 452:131222. [PMID: 36989793 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The co-presence of chromium (VI) [Cr(VI)] and uranium (VI) [U(VI)] is widely found in groundwater, imposing severe risks on human health. Although zerovalent iron [Fe(0)] supports superb performance for bioreduction of Cr(VI) and U(VI) individually, the biogeochemical process involving their concurrent removal with Fe(0) as electron donor remains unexplored. In the 6-d batch study, 86.1% ± 0.7% of Cr(VI) was preferentially eliminated, while 78.4% ± 0.5% of U(VI) removal was achieved simultaneously. Efficient removal of Cr(VI) (100%) and U(VI) (51.2% ∼ 100%) was also obtained in a continuous 160-d column experiment. As a result, Cr(VI) and U(VI) were reduced to less mobile Cr(III) and insoluble U(IV), respectively. 16 S rRNA sequencing was performed to investigate the dynamics of microbial community. Delftia, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas and Desulfomicrobium were the major contributors mediating the bioreduction process. The initial Cr(VI) and hydraulic retention time (HRT) incurred pronounced effects on community diversity, which in turn altered the reactor's performance. The enrichment of Cr(VI) resistance (chrA), U(VI) reduction (dsrA) and Fe(II) oxidation (mtrA) genes were observed by reverse transcription qPCR. Cytochrome c, glutathione and NADH as well as VFAs and gas metabolites also involved in the bioprocess. This study demonstrated a promising approach for removing the combined contaminants of Cr(VI) and U(VI) in groundwater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianping Lu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environmental Evolution, School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences Beijing, Beijing 100083, PR China
| | - Rongyue Geng
- MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environmental Evolution, School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences Beijing, Beijing 100083, PR China
| | - Han Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environmental Evolution, School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences Beijing, Beijing 100083, PR China.
| | - Zhen Yu
- Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, PR China
| | - Tao Chen
- School of Environment, South China Normal University, University Town, Guangzhou 510006, PR China.
| | - Baogang Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environmental Evolution, School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences Beijing, Beijing 100083, PR China
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Iqbal J, Su C, Wang M, Abbas H, Baloch MYJ, Ghani J, Ullah Z, Huq ME. Groundwater fluoride and nitrate contamination and associated human health risk assessment in South Punjab, Pakistan. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:61606-61625. [PMID: 36811779 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-25958-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Consumption of high fluoride (F-) and nitrate (NO3-) containing water may pose serious health hazards. One hundred sixty-one groundwater samples were collected from drinking wells in Khushab district, Punjab Province, Pakistan, to determine the causes of elevated F- and NO3- concentrations, and to estimate the human health risks posed by groundwater contamination. The results showed pH of the groundwater samples ranged from slightly neutral to alkaline, and Na+ and HCO3- ions dominated the groundwater. Piper diagram and bivariate plots indicated that the key factors regulating groundwater hydrochemistry were weathering of silicates, dissolution of evaporates, evaporation, cation exchange, and anthropogenic activities. The F- content of groundwater ranged from 0.06 to 7.9 mg/L, and 25.46% of groundwater samples contained high-level fluoride concentration (F- > 1.5 mg/L), which exceeds the (WHO Guidelines for drinking-water quality: incorporating the first and second addenda, WHO, Geneva, 2022) guidelines of drinking-water quality. Inverse geochemical modeling indicates that weathering and dissolution of fluoride-rich minerals were the primary causes of F- in groundwater. High F- can be attributed to low concentration of calcium-containing minerals along the flow path. The concentrations of NO3- in groundwater varied from 0.1 to 70 mg/L; some samples are slightly exceeding the (WHO Guidelines for drinking-water quality: incorporating the first and second addenda, WHO, Geneva, 2022) guidelines for drinking-water quality. Elevated NO3- content was attributed to the anthropogenic activities revealed by PCA analysis. The high levels of nitrates found in the study region are a result of various human-caused factors, including leaks from septic systems, the use of nitrogen-rich fertilizers, and waste from households, farming operations, and livestock. The hazard quotient (HQ) and total hazard index (THI) of F- and NO3- showed high non-carcinogenic risk (> 1) via groundwater consumption, demonstrating a high potential risk to the local population. This study is significant because it is the most comprehensive examination of water quality, groundwater hydrogeochemistry, and health risk assessment in the Khushab district to date, and it will serve as a baseline for future studies. Some sustainable measures are urgent to reduce the F- and NO3- content in the groundwater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javed Iqbal
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Source Apportionment and Control of Aquatic Pollution, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Chunli Su
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China.
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Source Apportionment and Control of Aquatic Pollution, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China.
| | - Mengzhu Wang
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Source Apportionment and Control of Aquatic Pollution, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Hasnain Abbas
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | | | - Junaid Ghani
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Zahid Ullah
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Md Enamul Huq
- College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing, China
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Informer-Based Safety Risk Prediction of Heavy Metals in Rice in China. Foods 2023; 12:foods12030542. [PMID: 36766072 PMCID: PMC9914933 DOI: 10.3390/foods12030542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Focused supervision and early warning of heavy metal (HM)-contaminated rice areas can effectively protect people's livelihood security and maintain social stability. To improve the accuracy of risk prediction, an Informer-based safety risk prediction model for HMs in rice is constructed in this paper. First, based on the national sampling data and residential consumption statistics of rice, we construct a dataset of evaluation indicators that can characterize the level of rice safety risk so as to form a safety risk space. Second, based on the K-medoids clustering algorithm, we classify the rice safety risk space into levels. Finally, we use the Informer neural network model to predict the safety risk indicators of rice in each province so as to predict the safety risk level. This study compares the prediction accuracy of a self-constructed dataset of rice safety risk assessment indicators. The experimental results show that the prediction precision of the method proposed in this paper reaches 99.17%, 91.77%, and 91.33% for low, medium, and high risk levels, respectively. The model provides technical support and a scientific basis for screening the time and area of HM contamination of rice, which needs focus.
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Jat Baloch MY, Zhang W, Zhang D, Al Shoumik BA, Iqbal J, Li S, Chai J, Farooq MA, Parkash A. Evolution Mechanism of Arsenic Enrichment in Groundwater and Associated Health Risks in Southern Punjab, Pakistan. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph192013325. [PMID: 36293904 PMCID: PMC9603767 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192013325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Arsenic (As) contamination in groundwater is a worldwide concern for drinking water safety. Environmental changes and anthropogenic activities are making groundwater vulnerable in Pakistan, especially in Southern Punjab. This study explores the distribution, hydrogeochemical behavior, and pathways of As enrichment in groundwater and discusses the corresponding evolution mechanism, mobilization capability, and health risks. In total, 510 groundwater samples were collected from three tehsils in the Punjab province of Pakistan to analyze As and other physiochemical parameters. Arsenic concentration averaged 14.0 μg/L in Vehari, 11.0 μg/L in Burewala, and 13.0 μg/L in Mailsi. Piper-plots indicated the dominance of Na+, SO42-, Ca2+, and Mg2+ ions in the groundwater and the geochemical modeling showed negative saturation indices with calcium carbonate and salt minerals, including aragonite (CaCO3), calcite (CaCO3), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2), and halite (NaCl). The dissolution process hinted at their potential roles in As mobilization in groundwater. These results were further validated with an inverse model of the dissolution of calcium-bearing mineral, and the exchange of cations between Ca2+ and Na+ in the studied area. Risk assessment suggested potential carcinogenic risks (CR > 10-4) for both children and adults, whereas children had a significant non-carcinogenic risk hazard quotient (HQ > 1). Accordingly, children had higher overall health risks than adults. Groundwater in Vehari and Mailsi was at higher risk than in Burewala. Our findings provide important and baseline information for groundwater As assessment at a provincial level, which is essential for initiating As health risk reduction. The current study also recommends efficient management strategies for As-contaminated groundwater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Yousuf Jat Baloch
- Key Laboratory of Groundwater Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
- College of New Energy and Environment, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
| | - Wenjing Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Groundwater Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
- College of New Energy and Environment, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
| | - Dayi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Groundwater Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
- College of New Energy and Environment, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
| | | | - Javed Iqbal
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Shuxin Li
- Key Laboratory of Groundwater Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
- College of New Energy and Environment, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
| | - Juanfen Chai
- Key Laboratory of Groundwater Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
- College of New Energy and Environment, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
| | - Muhammad Ansar Farooq
- Institute of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Science and Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
| | - Anand Parkash
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Chang’an West Street 620, Xi’an 710119, China
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