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Article

Evaluation of Groundwater Salinization Risk Following Application of Anti-Dust Emission Solutions on Unpaved Roads in Arid and Semiarid Regions

1
Institute of Soil, Water & Environmental Sciences, ARO, Volcani Center, Rishon Lezion 7505101, Israel
2
Department of Geography and Environmental Development, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 8410501, Israel
3
Mines and Quarries Division, Natural Resources Administration, Ministry of Energy, Jerusalem 9136002, Israel
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(4), 1771; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041771
Submission received: 23 January 2021 / Revised: 12 February 2021 / Accepted: 13 February 2021 / Published: 17 February 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Erosion: Dust Control and Sand Stabilization, Volume II)

Abstract

Unpaved roads could be a significant source of dust emission. A common and effective practice to suppress this emission is the application of brine solution on these roads. However, this application could increase the risk of water source salinization in arid and semiarid regions, such as Israel. The general objective of the present study was to investigate the potential effects of treated wastewater (TWW), fresh water (FW), and brine applications as anti-dust emission solutions on water source salinization in these regions. A rainfall simulator experiment and a mass balance model were used for this goal. The TWW loaded the highest amounts of Cl, Na, and Ca+Mg on the unpaved roads, while the brine loaded higher amounts of Cl and Ca+Mg than the FW, and ~0 Na. In the rainfall experiment, runoff was not formed, and ~100% of the loaded amounts were leached downwards by rain, indicating a negligible salinization risk to surface water. We estimated that the average increases in the Cl concentrations in the modeled aquifer, following TWW, brine, and FW applications, were low: 1.2–1.6, 0.58–0.8, and 0.32–0.4 mg L−1, respectively. Thus, the solution selection for preventing dust emission should be based on the total cost of the solution application.
Keywords: rainfall simulator; dust emission; salinization; groundwater; wind erosion; brine solution; treated wastewater rainfall simulator; dust emission; salinization; groundwater; wind erosion; brine solution; treated wastewater

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MDPI and ACS Style

Ben-Hur, M.; Cohen, R.; Danon, M.; Nachshon, U.; Katra, I. Evaluation of Groundwater Salinization Risk Following Application of Anti-Dust Emission Solutions on Unpaved Roads in Arid and Semiarid Regions. Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 1771. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041771

AMA Style

Ben-Hur M, Cohen R, Danon M, Nachshon U, Katra I. Evaluation of Groundwater Salinization Risk Following Application of Anti-Dust Emission Solutions on Unpaved Roads in Arid and Semiarid Regions. Applied Sciences. 2021; 11(4):1771. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041771

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ben-Hur, Meni, Reut Cohen, Michael Danon, Uri Nachshon, and Itzhak Katra. 2021. "Evaluation of Groundwater Salinization Risk Following Application of Anti-Dust Emission Solutions on Unpaved Roads in Arid and Semiarid Regions" Applied Sciences 11, no. 4: 1771. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041771

APA Style

Ben-Hur, M., Cohen, R., Danon, M., Nachshon, U., & Katra, I. (2021). Evaluation of Groundwater Salinization Risk Following Application of Anti-Dust Emission Solutions on Unpaved Roads in Arid and Semiarid Regions. Applied Sciences, 11(4), 1771. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041771

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