Study of the physical and chemical properties of hot sulfur well water in northwestern Libya

Résumé

The study was carried out on hot sulfate water located in the northwest of Libya, focusing on boreholes in Tajura, Ajailat, Al-Assa, and Badr; Wherein 32 samples were collected from the aforementioned boreholes throughout different seasonal periods for physical and chemical analyses, and the most important of which are: the total of dissolved salts (TDS), sulfate ions (SO4-2 and mineral ions' concentration (positive ions), such as Mg+2, Ca+2, K+, Na+, and negative ions such as, Cl-, CO3-2, HCO3- and NO3-. Some data has been recorded directly after collecting the samples like the temperature, pH level, the full amount of dissolved salts, and the electric conductivity. The final results have shown a vast change in the results obtained in comparison with Libya's specifications n. (82) for the year 1992 and the specifications of the World Health Organization (WHO), wherein there was a noticeable high-grade in the temperature and the amount of dissolved ions in the well water. After the results' analysis, discussion, and graphic illustration, water wells seem to have a significant role in curing many skin and muscle illnesses, arthritis, mitigating and killing pain by bathing according to health instructions, and that is because water wells contain high concentrations of dissolved mineral elements.

Moreover, it has been noticed through the results that there is an increase in dissolved mineral elements concentration like Sodium, Potassium, magnesium, calcium, sulphates, chloride, and bicarbonates, thus making them unsuitable for drinking; however, nitrate concentrations were within the permitted range. It also has been noticed that the concentration of iron in the Badr well water was high during the summer ranging around 8.85 mg/L, which caused a change in the color and taste of water, as well as an increase in the level of iron due to erosion of water pipes and the geological construction of rock layers that are formed around the depth of the well.