| 1. |
- Abdullah, Twana, 1977-
(författare)
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Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment to pollution in Different Soil and Rock Materials
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The augmentation of human population regularly corresponds with change in the land cover, including expansion of urban areas, which imposes increasing the available amount of domestic and drinking water. The study area, Halabja-Saidsadiq Basin, is situated in the Northeast of Iraq and is one of the major groundwater sources of the region. As the surface water sources are not enough in the studied area, it has become necessary to use groundwater at an increasing rate. Usually, a huge amount of groundwater is plentiful in the alluvial deposits or rock outcrops where the urban areas are frequently situated. Such areas face a huge risk of pollution of groundwater due to producing different sources of a contaminant from human's activity. Keeping these aspects in view, groundwater vulnerability studies have been carried out in the current studied basin. The main objective of this work is to investigate the environmental impacts on groundwater quality and recognize the groundwater vulnerability in the area so that the groundwater can be protected from probable contaminations.In the current study, DRASTIC model has been applied since it is one of the most proper useful methods available for the assessment of the groundwater vulnerability. This model has been modified in different ways to achieve the obvious vulnerability condition in the area; likewise, different further methods have been applied for comparison purposes such as: weight modified VLDA and standard COP models. In addition, the applied models were validated by comparing its findings against the estimated groundwater ages and the observed water characteristic qualities within the region in two successive seasons.According to the spatial distribution of irrigation water quality index, groundwater at the studied basin classified into three group for both dry and wet seasons, namely, Sever Restriction (SR), High Restriction (HR) and Moderate Restriction (MR). The coverage area of all three classes are (1.4%, 52.4% and46.2%) for dry season and (0.7%, 83.3% and16%) for wet seasons, respectively. While, refer to the water quality index for drinking purpose, groundwater in this basin reveals a permissible to excellent groundwater quality of the dry season and a good to excellent groundwater quality of the wet season. The high level of a good groundwater quality in the wet season compared to the dry season might be expected to the groundwater recharge during the winter and spring periods, which lead to dilution of chemical component, in contrast high irrigation and agricultural activities and groundwater discharge in the dry season leads to increase the concentration of chemical component.Field and official data were collected to review several environmental impacts and were used to map standard DRASTIC vulnerability model for the study basin. Based on this model, the study area was classified into four zones of vulnerability indexes, comprises a very low, low, moderate and high vulnerability index with a coverage area of (34%, 13%, 48% and 5%) respectively.In the first modification step, the rate and weight value of each parameter in DRASTIC model is modified. Nitrate concentration from 39 groundwater samples was used for modifying the recommended standard rating value based on the Wilcoxon rank-sum nonparametric statistical test and then sensitivity analysis was used to modifying recommended standard weighting value of each parameter. To calibrate the modified rate, the Pearson's correlation coefficient was applied to estimate the relation between DRASTIC values and nitrate concentrations in groundwater samples. For the first modified model, the correlation coefficient was 72% that was significantly higher than 43% achieved for the standard model. The modified model classified the area into five vulnerability classes, including (very low, low, moderate, high and very high) with covered area of (7%, 35%, 19%, 35% and 4%), respectively.The second modification of DRASTIC model was based on land use and land cover for the studied area. The land use and land cover (LULC) map prepared using ERDAS IMAGINE software from two different scenes of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM). The LULC map indicates that only five classes of LULC can be identified: these are: barren land, agricultural land, vegetation land, urban area and wet land or water body. The modified DRASTIC based on LULC map classified the area into five classes with different coverage area of each class: very low (1.17%), low (36.82%), moderate (17.57%), high (43.42%) and very high (1.02%).The third modified method of the current study is the modification of DRASTIC model based on Lineament feature of the study basin. A lineament map is extracted from Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus (ETM+) satellite imagery using different techniques in remote sensing and GIS. The lineament density map demonstrates that only six classes of lineament density can be identified ranged from (0-2.4). The third modified DRASTIC model classified the area into four vulnerability categories: very low (28.75%), low (14.31%), moderate (46.91%) and high (10.03%).The fourth effort to modify standard DRASTIC model is the application of Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) to assess the weight value of each parameter. The modified DRASTIC vulnerability index values based on AHP method ranged between (65.82–224.1) with five vulnerability classes comprises (very low to very high).Weight modified VLDA and standard COP models were also applied to map vulnerability system in the study basin. The vulnerability outcome based on weight modified VLDA model revealed that a total of four ranges of vulnerability indexes had been distinguished ranging from low to very high with vulnerability indexes (2.133-9.16). Subsequently, based on the standard COP model, the area is also divided into four vulnerability classes ranging from very low to high with index value ranged from (0.79) to (6.2).All applied models in the study basin were compared to each other and validated to clarify the validity of the theoretical sympathetic of current hydrogeological conditions and to show the accuracy of the modeled vulnerability system. Two methods were applied for the validation of the result, in the first approach; nitrate concentration analysis has been selected; the nitrate differences between two following seasons (dry and wet) were analyzed from (39) water wells. In the second approach, groundwater vulnerability was assessed based on estimated groundwater age from range of tritium (3H) value in the groundwater samples from different groundwater aquifers in the studied area. The results of both validation methods verify the sensibility of the gradation and distribution of vulnerability levels acquired using the modified DRASTIC model based on (rate and weight modification, weight modification based on AHP process and effect of LULC on DRASTIC model) and also applying weight modified of VLDA model.
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| 2. |
- Al-Ansari, Nadhir, et al.
(författare)
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Effective isolation of radioactive military wastes in Iraq : a necessary humanitarian action
- 2011
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Iraq has been subject to a series of wars for more than fifty years, the latest one leaving large amounts of wrecked tanks, vehicles, weapons and ammunition. A considerable part of the waste has the form of, or contains, depleted uranium (DU), that is concluded to have cancerogenic effects through its radioactivity and toxicity. The DU exists in significant concentrations in areas where combat took place, mostly in and around the cities of Bagdad and Basra, the total number of particularly encountered areas being about 15. The way of long-term isolation of DU that is proposed in this paper is to construct relatively simple landfills of sandwiched contaminated soil and clay or clayey soil, covered by sand/gravel and erosion-resistant coarser material on top. The very low annual precipitation and long draught in the deserts, implying significant evaporation, means that the system of tight soil interlayered with contaminated soil, embedding wrecked military objects, minimizes percolation and release of DU, keeping it adsorbed on the finest soil particles. The clay-based material must be composed in a way that, i/ desiccation fractures are not formed in periods of long draught and ii/ not swell uncontrolled and loose strength in wet periods. The DU-contaminated soil is proposed to be scraped off and transported in closed trucks to four desert sites where landfills of the sandwich-type are proposed to be constructed.
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| 3. |
- Al-Ansari, Nadhir, et al.
(författare)
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Saving Iraqi civilians and their environment from catastrophic implications of depleted uranium used in Gulf wars I and II
- 2011
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Depleted uranium (DU) was used twice by the Americans and allied forces against Iraqi troops and personnel in 1991 and 2003. The largest single radionuclide contamination occurred in the Gulf during Gulf War II, 1991, where depleted uranium was used as an amour-penetrating ordnance. Due to this use the countryside of Iraq was contaminated to a significant extent and thus chronically exposed the civilian population and military personnel to different environmental loads i.e. DU dust, vapors, and aerosols etc. In addition to the radioactive contamination due to military activities in Gulf wars, other dangerous source of contamination has been reported from the material and equipment at the Iraqi Energy Authority. After the fall of the Baath regime in 2003, the Iraqi Energy Authority, like all other Ministries and governmental organizations, sustained immense losses due to the turmoil and looting. As an example the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMI) reported in 2003 that uranium (as yellow cakes) as well as byproducts from processing activities in addition to tons of radioactive waste was stored in barrels. Simple citizens stole these barrels and used them for storing water. The radioactive materials in these barrels were in this way either spread in large quantities on the ground or taken to their homes. Other examples of how DU material is spread are given in the report as well. This report is highlighting the effect of radioactive waste on the people and the environment of Iraq and trying to find possible solutions to the problem. Special concerns are directed to the question of finding sustainable, environmentally acceptable and safe landfills for the final deposition of DU contaminated material.
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| 4. |
- Al-Jabban, Wathiq Jasim
(författare)
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Soil Modification by adding small amounts of binders : A laboratory study
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Soil stabilization through addition of a hydraulic binder is a method frequently used to modify and improve engineering properties of soft soils. Additives like cement and lime are typically used as stabilizers. More recently, industrial by-products, such as fly ashes, cement kiln dust, blast furnace slags and other slags have been used. The chemical reaction between the soil and the stabilizer alters the physical and engineering properties of the soil and thus desired strength and durability are obtained. The choice of appropriate type and quantity of stabilizer (binder) depends largely on factors such as soil type, moisture content, organic content, sulfate content, curing conditions (time and temperature) and the desired improvement.The objective of this thesis is to increase knowledge and understanding of how small amounts of binders change various engineering properties of stabilized soils in short- and longtime perspective. Extensive laboratory and field programs have been carried out. They cover immediate and long-term effects on the engineering properties by adding various binders. Cement, Multicem, and by-products Petrit T and Mesa were used as binders. Binder was added to the soil at various quantities: 1%, 2%, 4%, 7% and 8% of soil dry weight. The field and laboratory investigation included tests of consistency limits, sieving and hydrometer, unconfined compressive strength, density, solidification, grain size distribution using laser particle size analyzer, leaching tests and pH value. The tests were carried out on the treated soil with different binder contents and after different curing times i.e. 7, 14, 28, 60, 90 days for laboratory tests and 7 and 35 days for field investigation.The unconfined compression tests were used to show the effects of different binders on the enhancement in strength and stiffness over time. Consistency limits were determined to investigate the effects of the binders on the consistency limits, directly after treatment and over time. Laser particle size analyzer tests were conducted to investigate the effects of different binders on the particle size distribution (PSD) before and after treatment. The pH tests were conducted to investigate the effects of different binders on the alkalinity of the soil immediately after treatment and over time. This was used to give an indication of soil-binder reactions. MRM leaching tests were conducted to investigate the acidification potential of soils before and after treatment. Freeze-thaw cycles were conducted to investigate the strength characteristics after freezing and thawing in short- and long-term perspectives. Visual observation and standard dry sieving tests were conducted to optimize the proper mixing times to disintegrate or homogenize the soils by decreasing the size of agglomerated soil particles.The results show, that the variation in soil strength and stiffness of the treated soils are linked to different chemical reactions. Cement is most effective in improving the physical and engineering properties compared to the other binders studied. The plasticity index of soil decreases after treatment and over time. Liquidity index and the ratio of water content to plastic limit are introduced as new indices to illustrate the improvement in workability of treated soil by measuring the reduction in the liquidity index. This is found directly after treatment and it increases with time when the liquidity index is within the plastic range or when the water/plastic vi limit ratio is more than one. Increase of binder content and using longer curing times result in increase of soil density and decrease of water content. Particle size distribution of soil is changed by reducing the clay size fraction and increasing the silt size particles after treatment. This shows that an aggregation of particles take place resulting in coarser material than the initial. The cement-treated soils exhibit a more brittle failure in the unconfined compression tests compared to soils treated with other binder types where a more ductile behavior is observed. Applying freezing-thawing-cycles reduces the strength and stiffness of the treated soil.The appropriate length of time to homogenize and disintegrate the natural soil prior to treatment depends on several factors, such as soil type, water content, and plasticity properties of soil. For high plasticity soil, the disintegration time should be kept as short as possible. The homogenizing and disintegration time is less important for low plasticity soils with low water content than for medium to high plasticity soils.The acidification potential of soils are related to the addition of cementitious binders. The effect is found directly after treatment and over time. The treated soil exhibits higher resistance to decrease in pH value. The strength and stiffness properties found in the field investigation agree in general with those obtained from the laboratory investigation for the same binder type.
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| 5. |
- Al-Taie, Laith, et al.
(författare)
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Hazardous wastes problems in Iraq : a suggestion for an environmental solution
- 2011
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Iraq passed through many destructive wars where the country infrastructures have been destroyed. Consequently, various types of hazardous wastes generated from 1991 and 2003 wars are exposed in different parts of Iraq without any aspect of human and environment considerations. Contaminants are found in the form of contaminated rubble with depleted uranium (DU). Landfill disposal is still an economical and vital solution that should serve between 500-1000 years for confining hazardous wastes like DU. The longevity of a hazardous waste landfill is mainly controlled by clay based liners. There are many factors affecting the performance of clay liners. These factors were discussed in this research. The main requirements of hazardous waste landfills were listed according to USEPA and German regulations. Finally, the main aspects of landfill siting criteria in Iraq were suggested.
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| 6. |
- Al-Taie, Laith, et al.
(författare)
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Hydraulic properties of smectite clays from Iraq with special respect to landfills of DU-contaminated waste
- 2011
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Landfills of material contaminated by depleted uranium and other low-level radioactive waste must be isolated from the biosphere for a sufficiently long time. This can be effectively made in desert climate by collecting contaminated waste in suitable areas confined by tight embankments and covering them with very tight clay liners protected from desiccation and erosion by suitably composed filters and coarse rock fill. Examples of design principles and construction are described in the paper. The clay liners are made of air-dry expanding clay that can be found in sufficient quantities in Iraq and that provide very good tightness at low cost. The construction technique is well known from various projects.
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| 7. |
- Alakangas, Lena, et al.
(författare)
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Literature review on potential geochemical and geotechnical effects of adopting paste technology under cold climate conditions
- 2013
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The purpose of this literature review is to summarize the recent research regarding geochemical and geotechnical stability of paste tailings, identify knowledge gaps and future research needs. The present study has been conducted by the Division of Geosciences and Environmental Engineering together with the Division of Mining and Geotechnical Engineering at Luleå University of Technology on behalf of Boliden Mineral, LKAB and Outotec.A survey conducted by MEND (Mine Environment Neutral Drainage) in 2006 on the environmental effects related to the use of paste tailings summarizes that only a few studies had been performed about long-term effects on the surface and groundwater quality. Instead, the focus had been on the additives and the strength of the paste. It is still uncertain how the paste technology affects the long-term environmental stability from a geochemical point of view. Concerns regarding the stability of paste with high sulphide content are still relevant. Studies performed indicate that sulphide oxidation occurs within cemented paste as well as on the surface of non-cemented paste and cracks formed on the surfaces could induce oxidation. For cemented paste, metals released by sulphide oxidation might be sequestered due to high pH induced by the alkaline additives, but anion such as Se has been shown to be mobilized. The leachate has been shown to be near-neutral initially, but the neutrality decreases with time and probably metals sequestered in the matrix will also be released. Again, it should be noted that no long term study was performed on leaching of paste, cemented or uncemented. The longest leaching study was performed for one year. Arsenic has been proven to be retained in Ca-arsenates in cemented paste, but the long term stability of these precipitates is relatively unknown. Expanded secondary phases e.g. gypsum and ettringite have been observed to form when there is sulphate in the process or drainage of water. These phases could crack the paste, but, on the other hand, can also fill former cracks when deposited in layers. The effects of the formation of these phases are relatively uncertain in a long-term perspective. Presence of different elements such as ammonium, sulphates and metals in the water has been shown to negatively affect the curing process and therefore water is suggested to be treated before use. The presence of carbon dioxide during the paste formation could also affect the curing process, but could sequester metals in carbonate phases.Geotechnical and rheological properties of paste is well defined and documented. Several case studies have been found in literature providing valuable information about the details of the works being carried out. However, a difficulty has been noted during the investigation of the effects of cold climate conditions when current practice is applied in the colder parts of the world. It is not certain how some specific and vital parameters are going to be affected by cold temperatures. Parameters such as deposition slopes and deposition scheme, strength development of the paste are expected to be responsive to cold climate conditions. There are predictions about which properties are going to be affected in what way, but there is also a need to establish a scientific base for discussion. These have been highlighted as research needs and information gaps at the end of the report.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Bernander, Stig, et al.
(författare)
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Progressive Landslide Analysis in Canadian Glacial Silty Clay in Churchill River
- 2017
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The poster presents the risks for a progressive landslide in a natural dam. The stability will be critical when the water level is raised after the building of a hydro power plant, Bernander (2016), Dury (2017). The analysis is based on a finite difference method developed by Stig Bernander (2011), Bernander et al.(2016) The following issues will be discussed: - Material properties- Risk for liquefaction- Three possible failure surfaces: one horizontal, one inclined and one curved- Failure riska for different material propeties- The need to check the real properties of the soil
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