Civil Engineering / İnşaat Mühendisliği
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Review Citation - WoS: 14Citation - Scopus: 25Sustainability of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene: From Prehistoric Times To the Present Times and the Future(MDPI, 2023) Angelakis, Andreas N.; Capodaglio, Andrea G.; Passchier, Cees W.; Valipour, Mohammad; Krasilnikoff, Jens; Tzanakakis, Vasileios A.; Suermelihindi, Guel; Baba, AlperContaminated water and poor sanitation are associated with disease transmission. Absent, inadequate, or improperly managed water resources and sanitation systems expose individuals to preventable health risks. Billions of people lack access to these basic services today and will remain in this condition for decades to come. As we are usually thinking and talking about water, sanitation and hygiene services have changed. Looking back at the history of water, sanitation, and hygiene can help us understand the challenges and opportunities of these issues and draw lessons to achieve sustainable development in the future. Throughout history, civilizations have successfully experimented with treating water and using it for drinking, sanitation, and agriculture. For example, the Minoan civilizations originally focused on water treatment and cleaning to improve the aesthetic properties of drinking water. During prehistoric times, Minoan and Indus Valley civilizations, dating back to about 2000 BC, were the first to focus on the treatment of water supplies. From the early Minoan period, they relied on rainwater collection. During historic times, Hippocrates was the first to invent and used a water filter in the form of a cloth bag, at about 400 BC, known today as the Hippocrates Sleeve. The Romans perfected existing water technologies on a larger scale and initiated their spread throughout the Empire. Hygiene in ancient Rome was promoted by the famous public baths and toilets, which were supplied with water through widely branched aqueducts that had a high standard of cleanliness for the time and were regularly maintained.Article Citation - WoS: 4Citation - Scopus: 4Destratification of Thermally Stratified Water Columns by Air Diffusers(Elsevier, 2023) Elçi, Şebnem; Hazar, Oğuz; Bahadıroğlu, Nisa; Karakaya, Derya; Bor, AslıThis study aims at improving the understanding in order to optimise an aeration system for artificial destratification to control cyanobacteria growth in the reservoirs. Previous applications for artificial destratification in reservoirs were based on installations based on computational methods, where neither the effect of air bubble size and configuration nor the effect of air density in the bubble plume could be investigated. This study seeks for an optimized design with the help of experimental and numerical analyses. In order to perform experimental studies, a novel water tank enabling the heating/cooling of the water column as desired and a diffuser system were manufactured. During the experimental studies, effect of bubble size, bubble slip velocity, and other parameters of air diffuser on destratification efficiency were investigated. Based on the nondimensional parameters, a new destratification efficiency formula is obtained by the Genetic Algorithm (GA) approach. Additionaly, the hydrodynamics of the water tank during the mixing process by air diffuser was simulated via 3D numerical model and validated with experimental results. The Eulerian multiphase model with the ‘degassing’ boundary condition and k-ω turbulence model are found to be suitable for the purposes of the study. Based on the error analysis of comparisons of the model and observations, the best configuration of air diffuser is proposed, and the numerical model is found to be successful in simulating the destratification of thermally stratified water columns by air diffuser.Conference Object Citation - WoS: 2Citation - Scopus: 2Arsenic in Groundwater in Western Anatolia, Turkey: a Review(University of Silesia Press, 2010) Gündüz, Orhan; Baba, Alper; Elpit, HandanOccurrence of arsenic (As) in groundwater has been a major problem worldwide for the last hundred years. Considering its toxic effects on human health, the presence of elevated levels of arsenic in groundwater resources used in drinking water supply has been an active research field throughout the world (Van Halem et al., 2009). In this regard, case studies from Bangla-desh, India, Nepal, El Salvador, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Chile, China, Canada, Argentina, Peru, Taiwan, United States, Bolivia and Turkey have been documented with regards to the detection of natural levels in groundwater, the occurrence and distribution mechanisms, the human health effects and the in-situ and ex-situ treatment techniques (Jean et al., 2010). In many of these locations, arsenic is naturally found in the subsurface strata within volcanic and sedimentary formations as well as in areas of geothermal systems related to tectonic activity. Western Anatolia in Turkey is one such area of complex geology with active tectonics and high geothermal potential. This natural setting serves as a suitable environment for the presence of high levels of arsenic in subsurface waters. Based on these fundamentals, this study presents a general overview of arsenic presence in western Anatolia.Article Citation - WoS: 4Citation - Scopus: 4Determining Water and Sediment Quality Related To Lead-Zinc Mining Activity(Polish Academy of Sciences, 2018) Şanlıyüksel Yücel, Deniz; Baba, AlperThis study focuses on the Koru and Tesbihdere Pb-Zn mining districts, located at the upstream areas of the Umurbey dam basin. Mining activities in Koru, one of the longest operated mines in NW Turkey, date back to the beginning of the 1900s. The purpose of the study is to (1) determine the hydrochemical properties of the water resources and to assess the potential environmental consequences of mining activities in the Koru and Tesbihdere mining districts, and (2) investigate the effects caused by mining activities on the water resources and sediment quality in the Umurbey dam basin. Concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn in river sediments downstream of the Tesbihdere and Koru mining district, and in the Umurbey dam sediments were higher than the world average for river sediments. The geoaccumulation index and enrichment factor revealed that sediments were strongly polluted with Pb and Zn, moderately to strongly polluted with Cd and moderately polluted with Cu. The chemical analyses of water resources revealed that the maximum Fe, Zn, Pb, Mn, and Cu concentrations reached 2890 μg/l, 1785 μg/l, 1180 μg/l, 984 μg/l, and 419 μg/l, respectively. The Koru River is classified as polluted water according to Turkish inland water quality regulations. The environmental contamination problems in the local drainage system are caused by leakage from past and current tailing ponds into the Koru River.Article Citation - WoS: 40Citation - Scopus: 50Analysis and Assessment of Hydrochemical Characteristics of Maragheh-Bonab Plain Aquifer, Northwest of Iran(Springer Verlag, 2017) Fijani, Elham; Moghaddam, Asghar A.; Tsai, Frank T.-C.; Tayfur, GökmenThe present study aims at assessing the hydrochemistry of the groundwater system of the Maragheh-Bonab Plain located in the East Azarbaijan Province, northwest of Iran. The groundwater is used mainly for drinking, agriculture and industry. The study also discusses the issue of the industrial untreated wastewater discharge to the Plain aquifer that is a high Ca-Cl water type with TDS value of about 150 g/L. The hydrogeochemical study is conducted by collecting and analyzing the groundwater samples from July and September of 2013. The studied system contains three major groundwater types, namely Ca–Mg–HCO3, Na–Cl, and non-dominant water, based on the analysis of the major ions. The main processes contributing to chemical compositions in the groundwater are the dissolution along the flow path, dedolomitisation, ion exchange reactions, and the mixing with wastewater. According to the computed water quality index (WQI) ranging from 25.45 to 194.35, the groundwater in the plain can be categorized into “excellent water”, “good water”, and “poor water”. There is a resemblance between the spatial distribution of the WQI and hydrochemical water types in the Piper diagram. The “excellent” quality water broadly coincides with the Ca-Mg-HCO3 water type. The “poor” water matches with the Na–Cl water type, and the “good” quality water coincides with blended water. The results indicate that this aquifer suffers from intense human activities which are forcing the aquifer into a critical condition.Article Citation - WoS: 17Citation - Scopus: 28Effect of Geogenic Factors on Water Quality and Its Relation To Human Health Around Mount Ida, Turkey(MDPI Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2017) Baba, Alper; Gündüz, OrhanWater-rock interactions strongly influence water quality. Waters originating from highly altered zones affect human health. Mount Ida region in western Anatolia is an example for such geogenic interactions and additional anthropogenic impacts. A water quality monitoring study was held and a total of 189 samples were collected from 63 monitoring stations to characterize the quality of water resources and its relation with human health. The results indicated that waters originating from altered volcanic rocks that are mainly used for drinking purposes have low pH, high conductivity and elevated trace element levels. In addition, a number of acidic mining lakes were formed in the open pits of abandoned mine sites in the study area and pyrite oxidation in altered volcanic rocks resulted in extremely acidic, high mineral content and toxic waters that demonstrate an eminent threat for the environmental health in the area. Overall, the water quality constituents in Mount Ida region had a spatially variable pattern and were locally found to exceed the national and international standards, mainly due to geogenic alteration zones and anthropogenic intervention.Article Citation - WoS: 19Citation - Scopus: 21Effects of Basin Activities and Land Use on Water Quality Trends in Tahtali Basin, Turkey(Springer Verlag, 2013) Elçi, Şebnem; Selçuk, PelinBi-weekly water quality data from seven monitoring stations located within Tahtali Watershed, İzmir, Turkey and digital land use/land cover data of the same watershed are analyzed in this study. To examine the changes in land use associated with urbanization, the satellite images of the main pool of the Tahtali reservoir prior to filling and subsequent to filling, respectively, are analyzed. Aerial photos of the basin taken in 1995 (October) are compared with images taken in 2005 (November) from the IKONOS satellite through use of several GIS techniques. New residential buildings, greenhouses, and industrial buildings are presented in separate layers, and changes in basin activities are quantified. The effects of urbanization on the water quality are investigated through statistical analysis. The seasonal Kendall test is applied to the water quality parameters monitored bi-weekly at seven stations within the basin for the duration 1997-2005. There was no trend in phosphorus, but there was a negative trend in boron and nitrate and a positive trend in the parameters of biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD). The improvement in nitrate concentrations is attributed to the new regulations on the use of fertilizers in greenhouses. However, increase of BOD and COD concentrations is related to the growing settlement areas and industrial zones, which point to the insufficient wastewater treatment within the basin. Soil erosion within the basin is also quantified by the universal soil loss equation using available maps. Estimated total soil loss rate increased about 2. 5 times that of 1995 when the changed land use composition in 2005 is considered in the calculations.Article Citation - WoS: 22Citation - Scopus: 28Geochemical Characterization of Acid Mine Lakes in Northwest Turkey and Their Effect on the Environment(Springer Verlag, 2013) Şanlıyüksel Yücel, Deniz; Baba, AlperMining activity generates a large quantity of mine waste. The potential hazard of mine waste depends on the host mineral. The tendency of mine waste to produce acid mine drainage (AMD) containing potentially toxic metals depends on the amounts of sulfide, carbonate minerals, and trace-element concentrations found in ore deposits. The acid mine process is one of the most significant environmental challenges and a major source of water pollution worldwide. AMD and its effects were studied in northwest Turkey where there are several sedimentary and hydrothermal mineral deposits that have been economically extracted. The study area is located in Can county of Canakkale province. Canakkale contains marine, lagoon, and lake sediments precipitated with volcanoclastics that occurred as a result of volcanism, which was active during various periods from the Upper Eocene to Plio-Quaternary. Can county is rich in coal with a total lignite reserve >100 million tons and contains numerous mines that were operated by private companies and later abandoned without any remediation. As a result, human intervention in the natural structure and topography has resulted in large open pits and deterioration in these areas. Abandoned open pit mines typically fill with water from runoff and groundwater discharge, producing artificial lakes. Acid drainage waters from these mines have resulted in the degradation of surface-water quality around Can County. The average pH and electrical conductivity of acid mine lakes (AMLs) in this study were found to be 3.03 and 3831.33 μS cm-1, respectively. Total iron (Fe) and aluminum (Al) levels were also found to be high (329.77 and 360.67 mg L-1, respectively). The results show that the concentration of most elements, such as Fe and Al in particular, exceed national and international water-quality standards. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media New York.Article Citation - WoS: 1Citation - Scopus: 2How Do Contaminated Reservoir Bottom Sediments Affect Water Quality? an Assessment Using Swim Model(Water Environment Federation, 2013) Elçi, Şebnem; Şimşek, Sinem ElifIn this study, an approach for the assessment of long term effects of contaminated sediments on the surface water quality of a future reservoir is presented. A one-dimensional sediment-water interaction model designed to simulate contaminants associated with the sediments, and the transfer of these contaminants to the overlying water column, was developed. The effect of contaminated bottom sediments on water quality was investigated under different stratification conditions. The numerical model was applied to an existing reservoir (Tahtali Reservoir) for validation and projected contaminant concentrations based on the soil and water samples collected before inundation of the land. Results were compared with the concentrations obtained from water samples collected during its operation. Next, transfer to a planned reservoir (Çamli Basin, Izmir) of four heavy metals - copper, zinc, chromium, and lead - existing in bottom sediments of the planned reservoir is modeled. A ten year projection of heavy metal concentrations for the Çamli Reservoir showed concentrations to be higher than those acceptable by the World Health Organization (WHO). Construction of a treatment facility is recommended if the reservoir is to be utilized for providing domestic water.Article Citation - WoS: 24Citation - Scopus: 28Effect of Alteration Zones on Water Quality: a Case Study From Biga Peninsula, Turkey(Springer Verlag, 2010) Baba, Alper; Gündüz, OrhanWidespread and intense zones of silicified, propylitic, and argillic alteration can be found in the Çan volcanics of Biga Peninsula, northwest Turkey. Most of the springs in the study area surface out from the boundary between fractured aquifer (silicified zone) and impervious boundary (argillic zone). This study focuses on two such springs in KirazlI area (KirazlI and Balaban springs) with a distinct quality pattern. Accordingly, field parameters (temperature, pH, and electrical conductivity), major anion and cation (sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, bicarbonate, and sulfate), heavy metals (aluminum, arsenic, barium, chromium, cobalt, cupper, iron, lithium, manganese, nickel, lead, and zinc), and isotopes (oxygen-18, deuterium, and tritium) were determined in water samples taken from these springs during 2005 through 2007. The chemical analyses showed that aluminum concentrations were found to be two orders of magnitude greater in KirazlI waters (mean value 13813.25 μg/L). The levels of this element exceeded the maximum allowable limits given in national and international standards for drinking-water quality. In addition, Balaban and KirazlI springs are >55 years old according to their tritium levels; KirazlI spring is older than Balaban spring. KirazlI spring is also more enriched than Balaban spring based in oxygen-18 and deuterium values. Furthermore, KirazlI spring water has been in contact with altered rocks longer than Balaban spring water, according to its relatively high chloride and electrical conductivity values.