Hydrogeophysical and Hydrochemical Assessment of the Northeastern Coastal Aquifer of Egypt for Desalination Suitability
Recently the limited freshwater resources have become one of the most significant challenges facing Egypt. Thus, new resources of drinkable water are required to meet the growing population demands and the national projects, to support the country’s economy. Saline groundwater desalination is an opt...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/3/423 |
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| author | Mohamed Abdelfattah Heba Abdel-Aziz Abu-Bakr Farag M. Mewafy Taher Mohammed Hassan Mohamed H. Geriesh Mohamed Saber Ahmed Gaber |
| author_facet | Mohamed Abdelfattah Heba Abdel-Aziz Abu-Bakr Farag M. Mewafy Taher Mohammed Hassan Mohamed H. Geriesh Mohamed Saber Ahmed Gaber |
| author_sort | Mohamed Abdelfattah |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Recently the limited freshwater resources have become one of the most significant challenges facing Egypt. Thus, new resources of drinkable water are required to meet the growing population demands and the national projects, to support the country’s economy. Saline groundwater desalination is an option that can support limited freshwater resources. This research represents a detailed analysis of hydrogeological and hydrochemical characteristics of a coastal aquifer in the West Port Said area, northeastern Egypt, to assess the desalination suitability of the aquifer, especially when the nearby seawater is contaminated. The hydrogeological characterization included various integrated approaches: geophysical survey, field investigations, wells drilling, well logging, pumping tests, and water sampling. The results show that: (1) The subsurface lithology consists of sandstone and clay, and three water bearing layers: A, B and C. (2) The average porosity values are 22%, 27.5%, and 25% for layers A, B, and C, respectively. The hydraulic conductivity values fall in the ranges of 5.8–12.7 m/day for layer A, 7.6–11.7 m/day for layer B, and 11.1–19.5 m/day for layer C, while the highest transmissivity values are in ranges of 5.8 × 10<sup>2</sup>–12.7 × 10<sup>2</sup> m<sup>2</sup>/day for layer A, 7.6 × 10<sup>2</sup>–11.7 × 10<sup>2</sup> m<sup>2</sup>/day for layer B and 11.1 × 10<sup>2</sup>–19.5 × 10<sup>2</sup> m<sup>2</sup>/day for layer C. (3) The average storage values are 2.1 × 10<sup>−3</sup>, 1.8 × 10<sup>−3</sup> and 5.3 × 10<sup>−3</sup> in layers A, B and C, respectively. (4) Layers A and B showed Na-Cl-type, similar to seawater, but free from oil pollution. These results show layer B’s higher productivity and better quality. Despite the salinity, desalination technology can improve. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:19:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-395a2584bc3a4783ac60db84ed34d57a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:19:39Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-395a2584bc3a4783ac60db84ed34d57a2023-11-16T18:22:25ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412023-01-0115342310.3390/w15030423Hydrogeophysical and Hydrochemical Assessment of the Northeastern Coastal Aquifer of Egypt for Desalination SuitabilityMohamed Abdelfattah0Heba Abdel-Aziz Abu-Bakr1Farag M. Mewafy2Taher Mohammed Hassan3Mohamed H. Geriesh4Mohamed Saber5Ahmed Gaber6Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Port Said University, Port Said 42522, EgyptResearch Institute for Groundwater, National Water Research Centre, Cairo 13621, EgyptBoone Pickens School of Geology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USAResearch Institute for Groundwater, National Water Research Centre, Cairo 13621, EgyptGeology Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, EgyptWater Resources Research Center, Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kyoto 611-0011, JapanGeology Department, Faculty of Science, Port Said University, Port Said 42522, EgyptRecently the limited freshwater resources have become one of the most significant challenges facing Egypt. Thus, new resources of drinkable water are required to meet the growing population demands and the national projects, to support the country’s economy. Saline groundwater desalination is an option that can support limited freshwater resources. This research represents a detailed analysis of hydrogeological and hydrochemical characteristics of a coastal aquifer in the West Port Said area, northeastern Egypt, to assess the desalination suitability of the aquifer, especially when the nearby seawater is contaminated. The hydrogeological characterization included various integrated approaches: geophysical survey, field investigations, wells drilling, well logging, pumping tests, and water sampling. The results show that: (1) The subsurface lithology consists of sandstone and clay, and three water bearing layers: A, B and C. (2) The average porosity values are 22%, 27.5%, and 25% for layers A, B, and C, respectively. The hydraulic conductivity values fall in the ranges of 5.8–12.7 m/day for layer A, 7.6–11.7 m/day for layer B, and 11.1–19.5 m/day for layer C, while the highest transmissivity values are in ranges of 5.8 × 10<sup>2</sup>–12.7 × 10<sup>2</sup> m<sup>2</sup>/day for layer A, 7.6 × 10<sup>2</sup>–11.7 × 10<sup>2</sup> m<sup>2</sup>/day for layer B and 11.1 × 10<sup>2</sup>–19.5 × 10<sup>2</sup> m<sup>2</sup>/day for layer C. (3) The average storage values are 2.1 × 10<sup>−3</sup>, 1.8 × 10<sup>−3</sup> and 5.3 × 10<sup>−3</sup> in layers A, B and C, respectively. (4) Layers A and B showed Na-Cl-type, similar to seawater, but free from oil pollution. These results show layer B’s higher productivity and better quality. Despite the salinity, desalination technology can improve.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/3/423desalinationgroundwater characteristicsgeophysical techniquewater qualitycoastal areaEgypt |
| spellingShingle | Mohamed Abdelfattah Heba Abdel-Aziz Abu-Bakr Farag M. Mewafy Taher Mohammed Hassan Mohamed H. Geriesh Mohamed Saber Ahmed Gaber Hydrogeophysical and Hydrochemical Assessment of the Northeastern Coastal Aquifer of Egypt for Desalination Suitability Water desalination groundwater characteristics geophysical technique water quality coastal area Egypt |
| title | Hydrogeophysical and Hydrochemical Assessment of the Northeastern Coastal Aquifer of Egypt for Desalination Suitability |
| title_full | Hydrogeophysical and Hydrochemical Assessment of the Northeastern Coastal Aquifer of Egypt for Desalination Suitability |
| title_fullStr | Hydrogeophysical and Hydrochemical Assessment of the Northeastern Coastal Aquifer of Egypt for Desalination Suitability |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hydrogeophysical and Hydrochemical Assessment of the Northeastern Coastal Aquifer of Egypt for Desalination Suitability |
| title_short | Hydrogeophysical and Hydrochemical Assessment of the Northeastern Coastal Aquifer of Egypt for Desalination Suitability |
| title_sort | hydrogeophysical and hydrochemical assessment of the northeastern coastal aquifer of egypt for desalination suitability |
| topic | desalination groundwater characteristics geophysical technique water quality coastal area Egypt |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/3/423 |
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