Effects of fluoride on the removal of cadmium and phosphate by aluminum coagulation

This study focuses on the effects of pH and fluoride at different molar ratios of fluoride to Al (R_F:Al) on the removal of cadmium (Cd²⁺) and phosphate by Al coagulation. Fluoride at R_F:Al ≥ 3:1 inhibits the removal of Cd over wide Al dose ranges from 5 to 10 mg/L as Al. The removal of phosphate decreases significantly at high R_F:Al of 10:1 whereas at lowered R_F:Al (i.e., ≤ 6:1), an adverse effect is observed only at insufficient Al doses below 2 mg/L. Fluoride shows inhibitive effects towards the removal of Cd at pH 7 and 8 and that of phosphate at pH 6. Fluoride decreases the ζ-potential in both systems, and the decreasing extent is positively correlated to the elevated R_F:Al. The Al fluoride interactions include the formation of Al–F complexes and the adsorption of fluoride onto Al(OH)₃ precipitates, i.e., the formation of Al(OH)_nF_m. Al–F complex formation inhibits Al hydrolysis and increases residual Al levels, and a more significant increase was observed at lower pH. Al–F complexes at high R_F:Al complicate the coagulation behavior of Al towards both negative and positive ionic species. Moreover, fluoride at low R_F:Al shows little effect on Al coagulation behavior towards Cd^2 + and phosphate, and the spent defluoridation adsorbent, i.e., aluminum (Al) hydro(oxide) with adsorbed fluoride at R_F:Al of below 0.1:1, may be reclaimed as a coagulant after being dissolved.     

Effect of AlCl3 concentration on nanoparticle removal by coagulation

In recent years, engineered nanoparticles, as a new group of contaminants emerging in natural water, have been given more attention. In order to understand the behavior of nanoparticles in the conventional water treatment process, three kinds of nanoparticle suspensions, namely multi-walled carbon nanotube-humic acid (MWCNT-HA), multi-walled carbon nanotube-N,N-dimethylformamide (MWCNT-DMF) and nanoTiO₂-humic acid (TiO₂-HA) were employed to investigate their coagulation removal efficiencies with varying aluminum chloride (AlCl₃) concentrations. Results showed that nanoparticle removal rate curves had a reverse “U” shape with increasing concentration of aluminum ion (Al^3 +). More than 90% of nanoparticles could be effectively removed by an appropriate Al^3 + concentration. At higher Al^3 + concentration, nanoparticles would be restabilized. The hydrodynamic particle size of nanoparticles was found to be the crucial factor influencing the effective concentration range (ECR) of Al^3 + for nanoparticle removal. The ECR of Al^3 + followed the order MWCNT-DMF > MWCNT-HA > TiO₂-HA, which is the reverse of the nanoparticle size trend. At a given concentration, smaller nanoparticles carry more surface charges, and thus consume more coagulants for neutralization. Therefore, over-saturation occurred at relatively higher Al^3 + concentration and a wider ECR was obtained. The ECR became broader with increasing pH because of the smaller hydrodynamic particle size of nanoparticles at higher pH values. A high ionic strength of NaCl can also widen the ECR due to its strong potential to compress the electric double layer. It was concluded that it is important to adjust the dose of Al^3 + in the ECR for nanoparticle removal in water treatment.     

Purification, characterization and application of dual coagulants containing chitosan and different Al species in coagulation and ultrafiltration process

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of different Al species and chitosan (CS) dosages on coagulation performance, floc characteristics (floc sizes, strength and regrowth ability and fractal dimension) and membrane resistance in a coagulation–ultrafiltration hybrid process. Results showed that different Al species combined with humic acid in diverse ways. Al_a had better removal efficiency, as determined by UV₂₅₄ and dissolved organic carbon, which could be further improved by the addition of CS. In addition, the optimal dosage of different Al species was determined to be 4.0 mg/L with the CS concentration of 1.0 mg/L, by orthogonal coagulation experiments. Combining Al_a/Al_b/Al_c with CS resulted in larger flocs, higher recovery, and higher fractal dimension values corresponding to denser flocs; in particular, the floc size at the steady state stage was four times larger than that obtained with Al species coagulants alone. The results of ultrafiltration experiments indicated that the external fouling percentage was significantly higher than that of internal fouling, at around 85% and 15%, respectively. In addition, the total membrane resistance was significantly decreased due to CS addition.     

Treatment and resource recovery from inorganic fluoride-containing waste produced by the pesticide industry

The rapid development of the fluorinated pesticide industry has produced a large amount of fluorine-containing hazardous waste, especially inorganic fluoride-containing waste(IFCW). A two-step process, including extraction and recovery, was developed to recover fluorine as synthetic cryolite from IFCW produced by the pesticide industry. The optimum conditions for extraction were found to be a temperature of 75℃, an initial p H(p Hi) of 12, a4-hr incubation time and a liquid-to-solid ratio of 40 m L/g; these conditions resulted in a fluorine extraction ratio of 99.0%. The effects of p H and the F/Al molar ratio on fluorine recovery and the compositional, mineralogical and morphological characteristics of the cryolite products were investigated. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy of recovered precipitates showed changes in morphology with the F/Al molar ratio. Coupling Fourier transform and infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction indicated that the formation of Al F3-6was restricted as increasing p H. Both the amount of fluorine recovered and the quality of the cryolite were optimized at initial p H = 3 and a F/Al molar ratio 5.75. This study proposed a reliable and environmentally friendly method for the treatment of fluoridecontaining wastes, which could be suitable for industrial applications.     

Treatment and resource recovery from inorganic fluoride-containing waste produced by the pesticide industry

The rapid development of the fluorinated pesticide industry has produced a large amount of fluorine-containing hazardous waste, especially inorganic fluoride-containing waste (IFCW). A two-step process, including extraction and recovery, was developed to recover fluorine as synthetic cryolite from IFCW produced by the pesticide industry. The optimum conditions for extraction were found to be a temperature of 75°C, an initial pH (pH_i) of 12, a 4-hr incubation time and a liquid-to-solid ratio of 40 mL/g; these conditions resulted in a fluorine extraction ratio of 99.0%. The effects of pH and the F/Al molar ratio on fluorine recovery and the compositional, mineralogical and morphological characteristics of the cryolite products were investigated. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy of recovered precipitates showed changes in morphology with the F/Al molar ratio. Coupling Fourier transform and infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction indicated that the formation of AlF₆^3 − was restricted as increasing pH. Both the amount of fluorine recovered and the quality of the cryolite were optimized at initial pH = 3 and a F/Al molar ratio 5.75. This study proposed a reliable and environmentally friendly method for the treatment of fluoride-containing wastes, which could be suitable for industrial applications.     

Mechanism and kinetics of aluminum dissolution during copper sorption by acidity paddy soil in South China

Soil aggregates were prepared from a bulk soil collected from paddy soil in the Taihu Lake region and aluminum (Al) dissolution, solution pH changes during copper (Cu^2 +) sorption were investigated with static sorption and magnetic stirring. Kinetics of Cu^2 + sorption and Al dissolution were also studied by magnetic stirring method. No Al dissolution was observed until Cu^2 + sorption was greater than a certain value, which was 632, 450, 601 and 674 mg/kg for sand, clay, silt, and coarse silt fractions, respectively. Aluminum dissolution increased with increasing Cu^2 + sorption and decreasing solution pH. An amount of dissolved Al showed a significant positive correlation with non-specific sorption of Cu^2 + (R² > 0.97), and it was still good under different pH values (R² > 0.95). Copper sorption significantly decreased solution pH. The magnitude of solution pH decline increased as Cu^2 + sorption and Al dissolution increased. The sand and clay fraction had a less Al dissolution and pH drop due to the higher ferric oxide, Al oxide and organic matter contents. After sorption reaction for half an hour, the Cu^2 + sorption progress reached more than 90% while the Al dissolution progress was only 40%, and lagged behind the Cu^2 + sorption. It indicated that aluminum dissolution is associated with non-specific sorption.     

Pseudomonas sp. ZXY-1, a newly isolated and highly efficient atrazine-degrading bacterium, and optimization of biodegradation using response surface methodology

Atrazine, a widely used herbicide, is increasing the agricultural production effectively, while also causing great environmental concern. Efficient atrazine-degrading bacterium is necessary to removal atrazine rapidly to keep a safe environment. In the present study, a new atrazine-degrading strain ZXY-1, identified as Pseudomonas, was isolated. This new isolated strain has a strong ability to biodegrade atrazine with a high efficiency of 9.09 mg/L/hr.Temperature, p H, inoculum size and initial atrazine concentration were examined to further optimize the degradation of atrazine, and the synthetic effect of these factors were investigated by the response surface methodology. With a high quadratic polynomial mathematical model(R~2= 0.9821) being obtained, the highest biodegradation efficiency of 19.03 mg/L/hr was reached compared to previous reports under the optimal conditions(30.71°C, pH 7.14, 4.23%(V/V) inoculum size and 157.1 mg/L initial atrazine concentration).Overall, this study provided an efficient bacterium and approach that could be potentially useful for the bioremediation of wastewater containing atrazine.     

Removal of Cs from water and soil by ammonium-pillared montmorillonite/Fe3O4 composite

To remove cesium ions from water and soil, a novel adsorbent was synthesized by following a one-step co-precipitation method and using non-toxic raw materials. By combining ammonium-pillared montmorillonite (MMT) and magnetic nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄), an MMT/Fe₃O₄ composite was prepared and characterized. The adsorbent exhibited high selectivity of Cs⁺ and could be rapidly separated from the mixed solution under an external magnetic field. Above all, the adsorbent had high removal efficiency in cesium-contaminated samples (water and soil) and also showed good recycling performance, indicating that the MMT/Fe₃O₄ composite could be widely applied to the remediation of cesium-contaminated environments. It was observed that the pH, solid/liquid ratio and initial concentration affected adsorption capacity. In the presence of coexisting ions, the adsorption capacity decreased in the order of Ca^2 + > Mg^2 + > K⁺ > Na⁺, which is consistent with our theoretical prediction. The adsorption behavior of this new adsorbent could be expressed by the pseudo-second-order model and Freundlich isotherm. In addition, the adsorption mechanism of Cs⁺ was NH₄⁺ ion exchange and surface hydroxyl group coordination, with the former being more predominant.     

Positively charged microporous ceramic membrane for the removal of Titan Yellow through electrostatic adsorption

To develop a depth filter based on the electrostatic adsorption principle, positively charged microporous ceramic membrane was prepared from a diatomaceous earth ceramic membrane.The internal surface of the highly porous ceramic membrane was coated with uniformly distributed electropositive nano-Y_2O_3 coating. The dye removal performance was evaluated through pressurized filtration tests using Titan Yellow aqueous solution. It showed that positively charged microporous ceramic membrane exhibited a flow rate of 421 L/(m~2·hr) under the trans-membrane pressure of 0.03 bar. Moreover it could effectively remove Titan Yellow with feed concentration of 10 mg/L between pH 3 to 8. The removal rate increased with the enhancement of the surface charge properties with a maximum rejection of 99.6%. This study provides a new and feasible method of removing organic dyes in wastewater. It is convinced that there will be a broad market for the application of charged ceramic membrane in the field of dye removal or recovery from industry wastewater.     

铝盐混凝剂的混凝效果与残留铝含量和组分之间的关系研究

研究了氯化铝、硫酸铝、聚合氯化铝(poly-aluminum chloride, PAC)3种铝盐混凝剂在腐殖酸-高岭土模拟水样中的应用,以比较3种混凝剂在该水样中的混凝效果与残留铝含量和组分之间的关系.结果表明, 3种铝盐混凝剂在试验选取的投加量下对浊度和UV254的去除率最高可达90%左右,PAC能在较高的投加量下达到较好的混凝效果;较高投加量下PAC混凝沉淀出水中残留总铝含量为0.9 mg/L左右,余铝率为-3.0%左右,均明显低于传统的铝盐混凝剂;3种混凝剂混凝处理腐殖酸-高岭土模拟水样时,残留铝均大部分以溶解性总铝的形式存在,且溶解性有机铝在总溶解性铝中所占比例较大;PAC在腐殖酸-高岭土混凝沉淀出水中残留总铝的含量下降最快,且能够有效降低出水中毒性较大的溶解性铝的含量,其混凝沉淀出水中残留总溶解性铝含量为0.6 mg/L左右.     

Phosphate adsorption performance of a novel filter substrate made from drinking water treatment residuals

Phosphate is one of the most predominant pollutants in natural waters. Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the phosphate adsorption performance of a(NFS) made from drinking water treatment residuals. The adsorption of phosphate on the NFS fitted well with the Freundlich isotherm and pseudo second-order kinetic models. At p H 7.0, the maximum adsorption capacity of 1.03 mg/g was achieved at 15°C corresponding to the wastewater temperature in cold months, and increased notably to 1.31 mg/g at 35°C.Under both acidic conditions(part of the adsorption sites was consumed) and basic conditions(negative charges formed on the surface of NFS, which led to a static repulsion of PO43-and HPO42-), the adsorption of phosphate was slightly inhibited. Further study showed that part of the adsorption sites could be recovered by 0.25 mol/L Na OH. The activation energy was calculated to be above 8.0 k J/mol, indicating that the adsorption of phosphate on NFS was probably a chemical process. Considering the strong phosphate adsorption capacity and recoverability, NFS showed great promise on enhancing phosphate removal from the secondary treated wastewater in the filtration process.     

Effect of dissolved oxygen on nitrate removal using polycaprolactone as an organic carbon source and biofilm carrier in fixed-film denitrifying reactors

Nitrate-nitrogen(NO_3~--N) always accumulates in commercial recirculating aquaculture systems(RASs) with aerobic nitrification units. The ability to reduce NO_3~--N consistently and confidently could help RASs to become more sustainable. The rich dissolved oxygen(DO)content and sensitive organisms stocked in RASs increase the difficulty of denitrifying technology. A denitrifying process using biologically degradable polymers as an organic carbon source and biofilm carrier was proposed because of its space-efficient nature and strong ability to remove NO_3~--N from RASs. The effect of dissolved oxygen(DO) levels on heterotrophic denitrification in fixed-film reactors filled with polycaprolactone(PCL) was explored in the current experiment. DO conditions in the influent of the denitrifying reactors were set up as follows: the anoxic treatment group(Group A, average DO concentration of 0.28 ± 0.05 mg/L), the low-oxygen treatment DO group(Group B, average DO concentration of 2.50 ± 0.24 mg/L) and the aerated treatment group(Group C, average DO concentration of 5.63 ± 0.57 mg/L). Feeding with 200 mg/L of NO_3~--N, the NO_3~--N removal rates were 1.53, 1.60 and 1.42 kg/m3PCL/day in Groups A, B and C, respectively. No significant difference in NO_3~--N removal rates was observed among the three treatments. It was concluded that the inhibitory effects of DO concentrations lower than 6 mg/L on heterotrophic denitrification in the fixed-film reactors filled with PCL can be mitigated.     

Bio-remediation of acephate–Pb(II) compound contaminants by Bacillus subtilis FZUL-33

Removal of Pb~(2+)and biodegradation of organophosphorus have been both widely investigated respectively. However, bio-remediation of both Pb~(2+)and organophosphorus still remains largely unexplored. Bacillus subtilis FZUL-33, which was isolated from the sediment of a lake, possesses the capability for both biomineralization of Pb~(2+)and biodegradation of acephate. In the present study, both Pb~(2+)and acephate were simultaneously removed via biodegradation and biomineralization in aqueous solutions.Batch experiments were conducted to study the influence of p H, interaction time and Pb~(2+)concentration on the process of removal of Pb2+. At the temperature of 25°C, the maximum removal of Pb~(2+)by B. subtilis FZUL-33 was 381.31 ± 11.46 mg/g under the conditions of p H 5.5, initial Pb~(2+)concentration of 1300 mg/L, and contact time of 10 min. Batch experiments were conducted to study the influence of acephate on removal of Pb~(2+)and the influence of Pb2+on biodegradation of acephate by B. subtilis FZUL-33. In the mixed system of acephate–Pb2+, the results show that biodegradation of acephate by B. subtilis FZUL-33 released PO43+, which promotes mineralization of Pb2+. The process of biodegradation of acephate was affected slightly when the concentration of Pb2+was below 100 mg/L. Based on the results, it can be inferred that the B. subtilis FZUL-33 plays a significant role in bio-remediation of organophosphorus-heavy metal compound contamination.     

Denitrification and biofilm growth in a pilot-scale biofilter packed with suspended carriers for biological nitrogen removal from secondary effluent

Tertiary denitrification is an effective method for nitrogen removal from wastewater. A pilot-scale biofilter packed with suspended carriers was operated for tertiary denitrification with ethanol as the organic carbon source. Long-term performance, biokinetics of denitrification and biofilm growth were evaluated under filtration velocities of 6, 10 and 14 m/hr. The pilot-scale biofilter removed nitrate from the secondary effluent effectively, and the nitrate nitrogen (NO₃-N) removal percentage was 82%, 78% and 55% at the filtration velocities of 6, 10 and 14 m/hr, respectively. At the filtration velocities of 6 and 10 m/hr, the nitrate removal loading rate increased with increasing influent nitrate loading rates, while at the filtration velocity of 14 m/hr, the removal loading rate and the influent loading rate were uncorrelated. During denitrification, the ratio of consumed chemical oxygen demand to removed NO₃-N was 3.99–4.52 mg/mg. Under the filtration velocities of 6, 10 and 14 m/hr, the maximum denitrification rate was 3.12, 4.86 and 4.42 g N/(m²·day), the half-saturation constant was 2.61, 1.05 and 1.17 mg/L, and the half-order coefficient was 0.22, 0.32 and 0.24 (mg/L)^1/2/min, respectively. The biofilm biomass increased with increasing filtration velocity and was 2845, 5124 and 7324 mg VSS/m² at filtration velocities of 6, 10 and 14 m/hr, respectively. The highest biofilm density was 44 mg/cm³ at the filtration velocity of 14 m/hr. Due to the low influent loading rate, biofilm biomass and thickness were lowest at the filtration velocity of 6 m/hr.     

Fatty acid fouling of forward osmosis membrane: Effects of pH, calcium, membrane orientation, initial permeate flux and foulant composition

Octanoic acid (OA) was selected to represent fatty acids in effluent organic matter (EOM). The effects of feed solution (FS) properties, membrane orientation and initial permeate flux on OA fouling in forward osmosis (FO) were investigated. The undissociated OA formed a cake layer quickly and caused the water flux to decline significantly in the initial 0.5 hr at unadjusted pH 3.56; while the fully dissociated OA behaved as an anionic surfactant and promoted the water permeation at an elevated pH of 9.00. Moreover, except at the initial stage, the sudden decline of water flux (meaning the occurrence of severe membrane fouling) occurred in two conditions: 1. 0.5 mmol/L Ca^2 +, active layer facing draw solution (AL-DS) and 1.5 mol/L NaCl (DS); 2. No Ca^2 +, active layer-facing FS (AL-FS) and 4 mol/L NaCl (DS). This demonstrated that cake layer compaction or pore blocking occurred only when enough foulants were absorbed into the membrane surface, and the water permeation was high enough to compact the deposit inside the porous substrate. Furthermore, bovine serum albumin (BSA) was selected as a co-foulant. The water flux of both co-foulants was between the fluxes obtained separately for the two foulants at pH 3.56, and larger than the two values at pH 9.00. This manifested that, at pH 3.56, BSA alleviated the effect of the cake layer caused by OA, and OA enhanced BSA fouling simultaneously; while at pH 9.00, the mutual effects of OA and BSA eased the membrane fouling.     

Investigation of colloidal biogenic sulfur flocculation: Optimization using response surface analysis

The colloidal properties of biogenic elemental sulfur(S~0)cause solid–liquid separation problems,such as poor settling and membrane fouling.In this study,the separation of S~0 from bulk liquids was performed using flocculation.Polyaluminum chloride(PAC),polyacrylamide(PAM)and microbial flocculant(MBF)were compared to investigate their abilities to flocculate S~0 produced during the treatment of sulfate-containing wastewater.A novel approach with response surface methodology(RSM)was employed to evaluate the effects and interactions of flocculant dose,pH and stirring intensity,on the treatment efficiency in terms of the S~0 flocculation and the supernatant turbidity removal.The dose optimization results indicated that the S~0 flocculation efficiency decreased in the following order PACMBFPAM.Optimum S~0 flocculation conditions were observed at pH 4.73,a stirring speed of 129 r/min and a flocculant dose of 2.42 mg PAC/mg S.During optimum flocculation conditions,the S~0f locculation rate reached 97.53%.Confirmation experiments demonstrated that employing PAC for S~0 flocculation is feasible and RSM is an efficient approach for optimizing the process of S~0 flocculation.The results provide basic parameters and conditions for recovering sulfur during the treatment of sulfate-laden wastewaters.     

混凝剂活性污泥法处理城市污水研究

采用混凝剂硫酸铝和氯化铁,研究了混凝剂活性污泥法的长期除磷效果,对两种混凝剂除磷性能进行了比较。研究表明,在混凝剂活性污泥法中,硫酸铝的稳定投药量为80 mg/L,与生物不具协同作用;氯化铁的稳定投药量为50 mg/L,与生物具有协同作用。在活性污泥反应器中,氯化铁的除磷性能好于硫酸铝。硫酸铝和氯化铁混凝剂不仅没有明显影响生物脱氮效果,而且能提高有机物的去除效果。     

Biphasic reduction model for predicting the impacts of dye-bath constituents on the reduction of tris-azo dye Direct Green-1 by zero valent iron (Fe)

Influence of common dye-bath additives, namely sodium chloride, ammonium sulphate, urea, acetic acid and citric acid, on the reductive decolouration of Direct Green 1 dye in the presence of Fe⁰ was investigated. Organic acids improved dye reduction by augmenting Fe⁰ corrosion, with acetic acid performing better than citric acid. NaCl enhanced the reduction rate by its ‘salting out’ effect on the bulk solution and by Cl⁻ anion-mediated pitting corrosion of iron surface. (NH₄)₂SO₄ induced ‘salting out’ effect accompanied by enhanced iron corrosion by SO₄^2 − anion and buffering effect of NH₄⁺ improved the reduction rates. However, at 2 g/L (NH₄)₂SO₄ concentration, complexating of SO₄^2 − with iron oxides decreased Fe⁰ reactivity. Urea severely compromised the reduction reaction, onus to its chaotropic and ‘salting in’ effect in solution, and due to it masking the Fe⁰ surface. Decolouration obeyed biphasic reduction kinetics (R² > 0.993 in all the cases) exhibiting an initial rapid phase, when more than 95% dye reduction was observed, preceding a tedious phase. Maximum rapid phase reduction rate of 0.955/min was observed at pH 2 in the co-presence of all dye-bath constituents. The developed biphasic model reckoned the influence of each dye-bath additive on decolouration and simulated well with the experimental data obtained at pH 2.     

Effects of Al3+ on the microstructure and bioflocculation of anoxic sludge

The aluminum ions generated from mining aluminum,electrolytic aluminum and the industrial production of aluminum-based coagulants(such as AlCl_3 and Al_2(SO_4)_3) enter sewage treatment plants and interact with activated sludges.An anaerobic/anoxic/oxic(A~2 O) process was used to reveal the effects of Al~(3+) on the pollutant removal efficiencies,bioflocculation and the micro structure of sludge.The results showed that a low concentration of Al~(3+) improved the pollutant removal efficiencies and increased the sludge particle size.However,a high concentration of Al~(3+) hindered microbial flocculation and reduced the pollutant removal efficiencies.With a 10 mg/L Al~(3+) addition,the chemical oxygen demand(COD),total nitrogen(TN) and NH_4~+-N increased by 3%,16% and 27%,and reached as high as 68%,60% and 87%,respectively.At the same time,the dehydrogenase activity,flocculation ability(FA) and contact angle of the sludge reached their maximum levels at 41.3 mg/L/hr,45% and 79.63°,respectively.The specific surface area of the sludge decreased to 7.084 m2/g and the sludge pore size distribution shifted to concentrate in the me soporous range.Most of Al~(3+) was adsorbed on the surface of sludge,changing the physicochemical properties and physical structure of the sludge.     

Field scale interaction and nutrient exchange between surface water and shallow groundwater in the Baiyang Lake region, North China Plain

Fertilizer input for agricultural food production, as well as domestic and industrial surface water pollutants in the North China Plain, increases pressures on locally scarce and vulnerable water resources. In order to: (a) understand pollutant exchange between surface water and groundwater, (b) quantify nutrient loadings, and (c) identify major nutrient removal pathways by using qualitative and quantitative methods, including the geochemical model PHREEQC, a one-year study at a wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) double cropping system in the Baiyang Lake area in Hebei Province, China, was undertaken. The study showed a high influence of low-quality surface water on the shallow aquifer. Major inflowing pollutants into the aquifer were ammonium and nitrate via inflow from the adjacent Fu River (up to 29.8 mg/L NH₄-N and 6.8 mg/L NO₃-N), as well as nitrate via vertical transport from the field surface (up to 134.8 mg/L NO₃-N in soil water). Results from a conceptual model show an excess nitrogen input of about 320 kg/ha/a. Nevertheless, both nitrogen species were only detected at low concentrations in shallow groundwater, averaging at 3.6 mg/L NH₄-N and 1.8 mg/L NO₃-N. Measurement results supported by PHREEQC-modeling indicated cation exchange, denitrification, and anaerobic ammonium oxidation coupled with partial denitrification as major nitrogen removal pathways. Despite this current removal capacity, the excessive nitrogen fertilization may pose a future threat to groundwater quality. Surface water quality improvements are therefore recommended in conjunction with simultaneous monitoring of nitrate in the aquifer, and reduced agricultural N-inputs should be considered.