Browse

Industrial activities in the Jiu River basin, especially coal mining, have generated a significant impact on water quality over time, by releasing variable concentrations of heavy metals into the environment. This paper analyzes the trends of variation over time of the degree of heavy metal pollution in the Jiu River, considering the direct influence of the extractive industry in the area. The study is based on data collected from multiple water quality monitoring campaigns, covering an extended period, and aims t...

Babina Agricultural Enclosure is located in the northern sector of the Danube Delta near the Chilia branch, has undergone significant transformations over the decades. Originally designed as part of a large-scale aquaculture system, this area was later converted into agricultural land during the intensive land reclamation projects of the mid-20th century. However, following ecological rehabilitation programs initiated in the 1990s, Babina has regained its prominence as a important site within the Danube Delta Bios...

The fish farming infrastructure in the Danube Delta, including the Popina Fish Farm Enclosure, has been significantly impacted by environmental factors, particularly due to climate change. Located in the northeastern part of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, near the Chilia arm and the Black Sea, this enclosure once played an important role in aquaculture activities. Currently, the main threat to the area is the high water levels of the Chilia arm, which place constant pressure on the protective dykes, increasin...

This study assesses low-cost biochars produced from locally available agricultural residues, corn (BC-corn) and straw (BC-straw), as reactive sorbents for in situ groundwater remediation of vinyl chloride (VC). Biochars were obtained by slow pyrolysis under inert atmosphere and characterized by N2-BET at 77 K, CHNS, FTIR, XRD, and SEM/EDS. Sorption experiments were performed at 20+/-2 C in a synthetic aqueous matrix and in Danube alluvial groundwater containing elevated VC (11.6 to 17.8 ug/L) with typical backgrou...

Constructed wetlands provide a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable approach to wastewater treatment; however, their efficiency in phosphorus removal often remains insufficient to meet current discharge standards. Chemical precipitation using aluminium-based coagulants has been proposed as a promising solution. In this study, laboratory-scale columns were constructed to simulate French and Austrian types of constructed wetlands and operated in two experimental phases. During the first phase, wastewater w...

This study investigates the influence of meteorological variables on evapotranspiration (ET) using a novel lysimeter design. ET was measured with three specially constructed lysimeters made from water containers equipped with geotextile bags filled with sand and colonized by grass cover (Red fescue and Perennial ryegrass). The use of geotextile lysimeters provides a simple and robust tool for ET quantification under outdoor conditions and also reflects the structural principle of evaporation beds (ET-beds), used f...

The most effective way to ensure drinking water quality and protect public health is the implementation of a preventive, risk-based approach to water supply management. This approach encompasses all stages, from the water source to the consumer, and can be applied across all water supply systems, regardless of their size. The EU Drinking Water Directive (Directive (EU) 2020/2184) emphasizes the importance of this concept. This study assesses and analyzes the risk of groundwater contamination at the water supply so...

The sludge layer formed during the first stage of French vertical flow constructed wetlands is a crucial component in achieving high removal efficiencies of water pollution, including suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand, nitrogen, and phosphorus. In the Czech Republic, persistent challenges with insufficient sludge layer development on the first stage have limited treatment performance due to the combined sewerage system. To address this, a pilot-scale experiment was conducted focusing exclusively on the form...

The effects of climate change are affecting agriculture in many areas through changing weather, such as unexpected temperature swings and changes in rainfall that threaten food supplies and rural life. Western Romania has its own weather problems, such as long droughts mixed with unpredictable rains, and generally these conditions are starting to slow down agricultural production, which means farmers need to rethink the way they farm. When rains stop being reliable, groundwater can act as a buffer; it helps to kee...