Civil Engineering / İnşaat Mühendisliği
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11147/13
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Article Citation - WoS: 2Citation - Scopus: 2Sample Collection Into Sterile Vacuum Tubes To Preserve Arsenic Speciation in Natural Water Samples(American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), 2013) Gündüz, Orhan; Gürleyük, Hakan; Çakır, Ayşe; Elçi, Alper; Baba, Alper; Şimşek, CelalettinThe accurate speciation analysis of arsenic is a serious concern for water quality monitoring programs. Because the preservation of sample integrity until analysis is one of the most important aspects of speciation, this study aims to compare the performance of four different sample preservation methods under diverse conditions of sample quality. Natural samples with different characteristics were collected into the following containers to study their effectiveness: (1) standard high-density polyethylene bottle with no preservative; (2) empty, sterile Vacuette tube with no preservative; (3) sterile tripotassium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (K3EDTA) Vacuette tube with K3EDTA additive; and (4) empty, sterile Vacuette tube with added hydrochloric acid (HCl). Known concentrations of arsenite [As(III)] were also added to each container to monitor the oxidation of As(III) to arsenate [As(V)]. The results revealed recovery ratios exceeding 95% in all containers with sterile vacuum conditions. In particular, the K3EDTA Vacuette tube yielded a recovery very close to 100% of the spiked As(III), which is known to rapidly oxidize to As(V). Overall, collecting the sample into a container under sterile vacuum conditions and using a universally accepted preserving agent such as EDTA or HCl significantly improved the preservation of the original species distribution in the water matrix studied, compared to sampling without the use of preservation methods. After validation by future research, these sterile vacuum tubes can possibly be utilized for collecting and storing samples for the routine speciation analysis of other elements such as selenium, chromium, and antimony.Article Citation - WoS: 73Citation - Scopus: 84Groundwater Contamination and Its Effect on Health in Turkey(Springer Verlag, 2011) Baba, Alper; Tayfur, GökmenThe sources of groundwater pollution in Turkey are identified, and pathways of contaminants to groundwater are first described. Then, the effects of groundwater quality on health in Turkey are evaluated. In general, sources of groundwater contamination fall into two main categories: natural and anthropogenic sources. Important sources of natural groundwater pollution in Turkey include geological formations, seawater intrusion, and geothermal fluid(s). The major sources of anthropogenic groundwater contamination are agricultural activities, mining waste, industrial waste, on-site septic tank systems, and pollution from imperfect well constructions. The analysis results revealed that natural contamination due to salt and gypsum are mostly found in Central and Mediterranean regions and arsenic in Aegean region. Geothermal fluids which contain fluoride poses a danger for skeleton, dental, and bone problems, especially in the areas of Denizli, Isparta, and AydIn. Discharges from surface water bodies contaminate groundwater by infiltration. Evidence of such contamination is found in Upper KIzIlIrmak basin, Gediz basin, and Büyük Melen river basin and some drinking water reservoirs in Istanbul. Additionally, seawater intrusion causes groundwater quality problems in coastal regions, especially in the Aegean coast. Industrial wastes are also polluting surface and groundwater in industrialized regions of Turkey. Deterioration of water quality as a result of fertilizers and pesticides is another major problem especially in the regions of Mediterranean, Aegean, Central Anatolia, and Marmara. Abandoned mercury mines in the western regions of Turkey, especially in Çanakkale, Izmir, Muǧla, Kütahya, and BalIkesir, cause serious groundwater quality problems. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.Article Citation - WoS: 5Citation - Scopus: 7Hydrogeochemistry and Environmental Properties of Geothermal Fields. Case Study: Balçova, Izmir-Turkey(Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2012) Çakın, Ayça; Gökçen Akkurt, Gülden; Eroğlu, Ahmet Emin; Baba, AlperBalcova Geothermal Field hosts the largest geothermal district heating system of Turkey and a number of shallow groundwater wells that are used for irrigation of the agricultural activities. The present study aims to assess the influence of geothermal fluid on groundwater by determining the hydrogeochemical properties of the water resources. A sampling program was conducted for 10 months and samples were collected from geothermal and groundwater wells including re-injected fluid. Trace and major elements, and the types of waters were determined. The results of groundwater analysis showed that the concentrations of some toxic species, such as arsenic, boron, and fluoride, exceeded the limits of drinking water standards set by TSE, EPA, and WHO.