Does irrigation with reclaimed water significantly pollute shallow aquifer with nitrate and salinity? An assay in a perurban area in North Tunisia

In Tunisia, reclaimed water is increasingly used for irrigation in order to mitigate water shortage. However, few studies have addressed the effect of such practice on the environment. Thus, we attempted in this paper to assess the impact of irrigation with reclaimed water on the nitrate content and salinity in the Nabeul shallow aquifer on the basis of satellite images and data from 53 sampled wells. Ordinary and indicator kriging were used to map the spatial variability of these groundwater chemical parameters and to locate the areas where water is suitable for drinking and irrigation. The results of this study have shown that reclaimed water is not an influential factor on groundwater contamination by nitrate and salinity. Cropping density is the main factor contributing to nitrate groundwater pollution, whereas salinity pollution is affected by a conjunction of factors such as seawater interaction and lithology. The predictive maps show that nitrate content in the groundwater ranges from 9.2 to 206 mg/L while the electric conductivity ranges from 2.2 to 8.5 dS/m. The high-nitrate concentration areas underlie sites with high annual crop density, whereas salinity decreases gradually moving away from the coastline. The probability maps reveal that almost the entire study area is unsuitable for drinking with regard to nitrate and salinity levels. Appropriate measures, such as the elaboration of codes of good agricultural practices and action programs, should be undertaken in order to prevent and/or remediate the contamination of the Nabeul shallow aquifer.     

Dye removal by activated carbon produced from Agave americana fibers: stochastic isotherm and fractal kinetic studies

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The present work investigates the use of Agave americana fibers (AGF) as a precursor for activated carbon (AC) preparation via chemical activation...     

Prioritizing the provision of urban ecosystem services in deprived areas,a question of environmental justice

The distribution of urban ecosystem services (UES) is often uneven across socioeconomic groups, leading to environmental justice issues. Understanding the distribution of UES across a landscape can help managers ensure an equitable distribution of services. While many past studies have focused on the distribution of green spaces in relation to socioeconomic variables, this research analyzes the distribution of UES provided by these green spaces. This research quantified air pollution removal, atmospheric carbon reduction, and surface runoff mitigation provided by urban trees in Strasbourg city (France). The provision of these three UES was studied at the census block scale by creating an index of UES delivery, which was contrasted with a constructed social deprivation index. Our results show that there is no significant association between the delivery of UES and social deprivation. Some deprived populations benefit from high UES delivery. Results also suggest that mapping associations between UES delivery and social deprivation should be integrated with future development plans to enhance the equitable distribution of UES. This study provides insights into the French context where studies about the distribution of UES at a small-area level remain lacking.