Development of Functionalized Date Pits Adsorbent for the Removal of Boron, Lithium, and Molybdenum from Groundwater in the State of Qatar

Abstract

Groundwater (GW) quality deterioration is one of the main water security issues in Qatar. Although the GW in the State of Qatar is not used as drinking water for the public, it is widely used for agricultural, domestic, and recreational projects. In this study, 41 GW samples were used to investigate the GW quality in Qatar. The integrated physiochemical analysis along with hydro-chemical faces analysis, geochemical modeling, statistical and geostatistical analysis was conducted. The results showed that the GW samples mainly have the following cations Na+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ >K+ abundantly, while Cl- > SO4 2- > HCO3- > NO3 - were the main anions. The analysis of spatial variability using multiple spatial interpolated methods (ArcGIS Software) revealed high levels of total dissolved solids (TDS), sodium absorption ratio (SAR), and some cations and anions in the coastal and south Qatar. While the spatial variability for nitrate and boron suggested the influence of human activities. Boron (B) and molybdenum (Mo) levels in some samples exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO), GCC Standardization Organization (GSO), Qatar drinking water guidelines, and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (US-EPA) lifetime health advisory. Lithium (Li) levels in 39 samples exceeded the GSO.