Brackish groundwater desalination by reverse osmosis in southeastern Spain. Presence of emerging contaminants and potential impacts on soil-aquifer media

ABSTRACT

Desalinated brackish groundwater is becoming a new source of water supply to comply with growing water demands, especially in (semi-) arid countries. Recent publications show that some chemical compounds may persist in an unaltered form after the desalination processes and that there is an associated risk of mixing waters with different salinity for irrigation. At the university of Alicante campus (Spain), a mix of desalinated brackish groundwater and water from the existing aquifer is currently applied for landscape irrigation. The presence of 209 emerging compounds, surfactants, priority substances according to the 2008/105/EC Directive, 11 heavy metals and microbiological organisms in blended water and aquifer samples was investigated. Thirty-five compounds were detected (pesticides, pharmaceuticals and surfactants) among them two priority substances α-endosulfan and Ni were found above the permitted maximum concentration. Blended water used for landscape irrigation during the summer period is supersaturated with respect to carbonates, which may ultimately lead to mineral precipitation in the soil-aquifer media and changes in hydraulic parameters.

Keywords:

• Brackish groundwater
• Emerging contaminants
• Reverse osmosis
• Aquifer-soil impacts
• Water quality

Acknowledegements

This study forms part of the CONSOLIDER-TRAGUA and CGL2010-22,168-C03-02/BTE projects financed by the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain. Gratitude is expressed to the University Institute of Water and Environmental Sciences of Alicante and to Maria Fernanda Chillón.

Notes

The Third International Congress Smallwat11—Wastewater in Small Communities 25–28 April 2011, Seville, Spain