Study on inverse geochemical modeling of hydrochemical characteristics and genesis of groundwater system in coal mine area - a case study of Longwanggou Coal Mine in Ordos Basin

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2024 Mar;31(11):16583-16600. doi: 10.1007/s11356-024-32153-z. Epub 2024 Feb 6.

Abstract

The exploitation of coal resources has disturbed the equilibrium of the original groundwater system, resulting in a perturbation of the deep groundwater dynamic conditions and hydrochemical properties. Exploring the formation of mine water chemistry under the conditions of deep coal seam mining in the Ordos Basin provides a theoretical basis for the identification of sources of mine water intrusion and the development and utilization of water resources. This paper takes Longwanggou Coal Mine as the research area, collects a total of 106 groups of water samples from the main water-filled aquifers, comprehensively uses Piper trilinear diagram, Gibbs diagram, ion correlation, ion ratio coefficient and mineral saturation index analysis, and carries out inverse geochemical modeling with PHREEQC software, so as to analyze the hydrochemical characteristics and causes of the main water-filled aquifers in deep-buried coal seams in the research area. The results show that the main hydrochemical processes in the study area are leaching and cation exchange, and the groundwater is affected by carbonate (calcite, dolomite), silicate (gypsum) and evaporite. Calculations of mineral saturation indices and PHREEQC simulations have led to the conclusion that the dissolution of rock salt and gypsum in groundwater accounts for most of the ionic action. Na+, Cl- and SO42- are mainly derived from the dissolution of rock salt and gypsum minerals, while Ca2+ and Mg2+ are mostly derived from the dissolution of dolomite and calcite. The results of the inverse geochemical modeling are consistent with the theoretical analysis.

Keywords: Hydrochemical characteristics; Inverse geochemical modeling; Ion ratio coefficient; Longwanggou coal; Mineral saturation index; PHREEQC.

MeSH terms

  • Calcium Carbonate / analysis
  • Calcium Sulfate / analysis
  • Coal / analysis
  • Environmental Monitoring / methods
  • Groundwater* / chemistry
  • Magnesium*
  • Water / analysis
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

  • calcium magnesium carbonate
  • Calcium Sulfate
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical
  • Calcium Carbonate
  • Water
  • Coal
  • Magnesium