Skip to main content

Hydrochemistry and coal mining activity induced karst water quality degradation in the Niangziguan karst water system, China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research volume 23, pages 6286–6299 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

Hydrogeochemical analysis, statistical analysis, and geochemical modeling were employed to evaluate the impacts of coal mining activities on karst water chemistry in Niangziguan spring catchment, one of the largest karst springs in Northern China. Significant water quality deterioration was observed along the flow path, evidenced from the increasing sulfate, nitrate, and TDS content in karst water. Karst water samples are Ca-Mg-HCO3 type in the recharge areas, Ca-Mg-HCO3-SO4 type in the coal mining areas, and Ca-Mg-SO4-HCO3/HCO3-SO4 type in the rural areas and discharge areas. A four-factor principal component analysis (PCA) model is conducted which explains over 82.9 % of the total variation. Factor 1, which explained the largest portion (45.33 %) of the total variance, reveals that coal mining activities and natural water-rock interaction as the primary factors controlling karst water quality. Anthropogenic effects were recognized as the secondary factor with high positive loadings for NO3 − and Cl− in the model. The other two factors are co-precipitation removal of trace elements and silicate mineral dissolution, which explained 20.96 % of the total variance. A two-end mixing modeling was proposed to estimate the percentage of coal wastewater giving on karst water chemistry, based on the groundwater sulfate chemistry constrains rather than sulfur isotopes. Uncertainty of sulfur isotope sources led to an overestimation of coal mining water contribution. According to the results of the modeling, the contribution of coal mining waste on karst water chemistry was quantified to be from 27.05 to 1.11 % which is ca. three times lower than the values suggested using a sulfur isotope method.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

43,34 €

Price includes VAT (Finland)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12

References

  • Bakalowicz M (2005) Karst groundwater: a challenge for new resources. Hydrogeol J 13:148–160

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Belkhiri L et al (2010) Application of multivariate statistical methods and inverse geochemical modeling for characterization of groundwater—a case study: Ain Azel plain (Algeria). Geoderma 159:390–398

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cloutier V et al (2008) Multivariate statistical analysis of geochemical data as indicative of the hydrogeochemical evolution of groundwater in a sedimentary rock aquifer system. J Hydrol 353:294–313

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dassi L (2011) Investigation by multivariate analysis of groundwater composition in a multilayer aquifer system from North Africa: a multi-tracer approach. Appl Geochem 26:1386–1398

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis JC (1986) Statistics and data analysis in geology, 2nd edn. Wiley, New York, p 646

    Google Scholar 

  • Duan GW, Liang YP (2006) Study on sulfate pollution in Yangquan City using 34S isotope. West-China Explor Eng 1:35–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Farnham IM et al (2003) Factor analytical approaches for evaluating groundwater trace element chemistry data. Anal Chim Acta 490:123–138

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Galazoulas EC, Petalas CP (2014) Application of multivariate statistical procedures on major ions and trace elements in a multilayered coastal aquifer: the case of the south Rhodope coastal aquifer. Environ Earth Sci 72:4191–4205

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gao XB et al (2011) Anthropogenic effects on hydrochemistry of Niangziguan karst water. Proc Inst Civ Eng Water Manage 164(10):495–510

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Güler C, Thyne GD (2004) Hydrologic and geologic factors controlling surface and groundwater chemistry in Indian Wells-Owens Valley area, southeastern California, USA. J Hydrol 285:177–198

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hao YH et al (2012) Investigation of karstic hydrological processes of Niangziguan Springs (North China) using wavelet analysis. Hydrol Process 26:3062–3069

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heaton TH (1986) Nitrate pollution of groundwater. S Afr J Sci 82:279–287

    Google Scholar 

  • Jiang Y et al (2009) Natural and anthropogenic factors affecting the groundwater quality in the Nandong karst underground river system in Yunan, China. J Contam Hydrol 109:49–61

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim JH et al (2005) Multivariate statistical analysis to identify the major factors governing groundwater quality in the coastal area of Kimje, South Korea. Hydrol Process 19:1261–1276

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lambrakis N et al (2004) The use of multicomponent statistical analysis in hydrogeological environmental research. Water Res 38:1862–1872

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lang Y et al (2006) Geochemistry of surface and ground water in Guiyang, China: water/rock interaction and pollution in a karst hydrological system. Appl Geochem 21:887–903

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li YL et al (1998) Pollution analysis of SO4 2−, Ca2+, Mg2+ in karst water in Niangiguan spring area. Geol Sci Technol Inf 17(2):111–114

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li X et al (2010) The use of environmental isotopic (C, Sr, S) and hydrochemical tracers to characterize anthropogenic effects on karst groundwater quality: a case study of the Shuicheng Basin, SW China. Appl Geochem 25:1924–1936

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • López-Chicano M et al (2001) Factors which determine the hydrogeochemical behaviour of karstic springs. A case study from the Betic Cordilleras, Spain. Appl Geochem 16:1179–1192

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lu HY et al (2008) Identification of the origin of salinization in groundwater using multivariate statistical analysis and geochemical modeling: a case study of Kaohsiung, Southwest Taiwan. Environ Geol 55:339–352

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Masoud AA (2014) Groundwater quality assessment of the shallow aquifers west of the Nile Delta (Egypt) using multivariate statistical and geostatistical techniques. J Afr Earth Sci 95:123–137

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mokrik R et al (2009) The origin of barium in the Cambrian-Vendian aquifer system, North Estonia. Est J Earth Sci 58:193–208

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qiao XJ et al (2011) Influence of coal mining on regional karst groundwater system: a case study in West Mountain area of Taiyuan City, Northern China. Environ Earth Sci 64:1525–1535

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shahbaz M et al (2015) Do coal consumption and industrial development increase environmental degradation in China and India? Environ Sci Pollut Res 22(5):3895–3907

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh E et al (2013) Groundwater quality in Imphal West district, Manipur, India, with multivariate statistical analysis of data. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20:2421–2434

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suk H et al (1999) Characterization of a ground water hydrochemical system through multivariate analysis: clustering into ground water zones. Ground Water 37:358–366

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang YX, Gao XB (2009) Geochemical evolution of the Niangziguan karst water system under the impact of human activities. Corsologica Sin 28:10–19

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang Y et al (2001) Geostatistical and geochemical analysis of surface water leakage into groundwater on a regional scale: a case study in the Liulin karst system, northwestern China. J Hydrol 246:223–234

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yidana SM et al (2008) A multivariate statistical analysis of surface water chemistry data—the Ankobra Basin, Ghana. J Environ Manag 86:80–87

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yu P (1994) Surface collapse in the karst mining areas in China. Mine Water Environ 13(2):21–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang DJ (2004) Carbonate water contamination and genetic analysis of Niangziguan spring area. Saf Environ Eng 11:57–59

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou XH et al (2010) Application of factor analysis in the assessment of groundwater quality. Water Res Low Carbon Energy 1251:33–36, 2nd international symposium on aqua science

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was financially supported by the Foundation for Innovative Research Groups of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41521001), National Natural Science Foundation of China (41372251), the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (20130145120014), and the International Postdoctoral Exchange Fellowship Program by the Office of China Postdoctoral Council and the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province of China (2013CFB410).

Author information

Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Studies and State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, No. 388, Lumo Road, 430074, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China

    Xiaobo Zhang, Xue Li & Xubo Gao

  2. University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78705, USA

    Xubo Gao

Authors
  1. Xiaobo Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Xue Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Xubo Gao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xubo Gao.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

ESM 1

(DOC 118 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhang, X., Li, X. & Gao, X. Hydrochemistry and coal mining activity induced karst water quality degradation in the Niangziguan karst water system, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 6286–6299 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5838-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5838-z

Keywords

  • Hydrochemistry
  • Coal mining activity
  • Karst water quality
  • Degradation
  • Niangziguan karst spring catchment
  • China