Christoph Schüth

Technical University of Darmstadt | TU · Institute of Applied Geosciences

Despite regulatory measures, nitrogen contamination in groundwater remains a global environmental and health concern. Denitrifying bacteria play a crucial role, particularly in the capillary fringe, in reducing nitrogen loads through two primary pathways: heterotrophic and autolithotrophic. While the former relies on labile organic carbon as an ele...

Supplementary Material

To mitigate groundwater level decline, managed aquifer recharge (MAR) with secondary treated wastewater (STWW) is increasingly considered and implemented. However, the effectiveness and potential risks of such systems need evaluation prior to implementation. In this study, we present a large-scale sand tank experiment to analyse processes related t...

Sorption of hydrophobic organic contaminants onto thermally altered carbonaceous materials (TACM) constitutes a widely used technology for remediation of polluted waters. This process is typically described by sorption isotherms, with one of the most used models, the Polanyi-Dubinin-Manes (PDM) equation, including water solubility (Sw) as a normali...

Challenges for geosciences with societal relevance include the use of crystalline geothermal reservoirs for the energy transition as well as final disposal. Crystalline rocks, along with clay and salt, are being considered as host rocks in the ongoing search for a suitable site for a nuclear waste repository in Germany. Currently, there is no exist...

Contamination of groundwater with pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs) increased over the last decades. Potential pathways of PhACs to groundwater include techniques such as irrigation, managed aquifer recharge, or bank filtration as well as natural processes such as losing streams of PhACs-loaded source waters. Usually, these systems are charac...

Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) is an oxidant applied in water treatment processes that is very effective for disinfection and abatement of inorganic and organic pollutants. Thereby phenol is the most important reaction partner of ClO2 in reactions of natural organic matter (NOM) and in pollutant degradation. It was previously reported that with specific r...

The present study investigates the reaction of methionine with free available chlorine (FAC) and estimates the usability of methionine as selective scavenger for intrinsically formed FAC in chlorine dioxide-based (ClO 2 )...

Biogeochemical redox processes control the chemical behavior of many major and trace elements, making their comprehension crucial for predicting and protecting environmental health. Nitrogen (N) is especially susceptible to changes in soil redox conditions and affects the cycles of other redox‐sensitive species. Elevated N concentrations, in nitrat...

Lake Urmia in north-western Iran was once one of the world's largest hyper-saline lakes and represented a unique ecosystem for a number of endangered species. The lake's shrinking over the past decades has attracted considerable attention and several studies have addressed its water balance. Yet, evaporation of shallow groundwater from the dried-up...

In this study, we analyzed the concentration distributions of 20 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in 41 water samples which were collected from the northern part of Taihu Lake during 4 field campaigns (201511, 201606, 201702 and 201709). The concentrations were determined with GC–MS, and their spatial and seasonal distribution characteristic...

While there have been significant advances in the understanding of drought in the surface water domain, little knowledge is available for groundwater and the interactions with surface water. In particular, few studies have been run to understand the short-term transient changes in groundwater quality since the early onset of a hydrological drought...

In the last few decades, groundwater has been the main water supply to the Nuweiba alluvial fan. However, currently, the main water supply is a desalination plant. The desalination plant might be vulnerable to malfunctions resulting in a severe drought. In addition, the aquifer type in the fan is coastal. Hence, replenishing the groundwater is nece...

The identification of the hydrological processes taking place at coastal systems and the interaction between aquifers and the sea have been key features for many groundwater-related studies. However, the suitability of different boundary conditions for representing the hydrodynamic conditions along the coast in modelling applications is widely disc...

This study systematically investigated the reactions of N -Acetyl-L-tyrosine (NAL tyrosine) and N -Acetyl-L-tryptophan (NAL-tryptophan) with ClO 2 and FAC. NAL-tyrosine and NAL-tryptophan are examples of reactive amino acids included in peptides and...

Due to limited availability of surface water, many arid and semi-arid countries have to rely on their groundwater resources. Despite the quasi-absence of present-day replenishment, some of these aquifers contain large amounts of water that was recharged during wetter periods in the past. Although these recharge events often occurred several thousan...

Within the Ararat Valley (Armenia), a continuously growing water demand (for irrigation and fish farming) and a simultaneous decline in groundwater recharge (due to climate change) result in increasing stress on the local groundwater resources. This detrimental development is reflected by groundwater-level drops and an associated reduction of the a...

Wetlands are important for their peat reservoir, dynamic land cover and natural resources, ecological and hydrological regimes, fossil fuels reservoir, and crucial carbon storage. The global wetlands are decreasing since 1800 due to climatic phenomena and human activities. Wetland mapping with satellite data is not new but an ongoing challenge due...

Information on water balance components such as evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge are crucial for water management. Due to differences in physical conditions, but also due to limited budgets, there is not one universal best practice, but a wide range of different methods with specific advantages and disadvantages. In this study, we propos...

Adsorption and bioremediation are effective processes for remediation of benzene, toluene, and ethylbenzene (BTE) through Permeable Reactive Barriers (PRBs). A few researches focus on adsorption of natural zeolite because of its hydrophilic property. On the other hand, PRBs need to be replaced by fresh materials after a while when all the possible...

Rationale Chloroform, a probable human carcinogen, is commonly detected in various concentration levels in many surface water and groundwater sources. Compound‐specific chlorine stable isotope analysis (Cl‐CSIA) is significant in investigating the fate of chlorinated contaminants in the environment. Analytical conditions should, however, be thoroug...

Im Beitrag, S. 6 in Tab. 1 wurde an zwei Stellen ng d⁻¹ m⁻² als Einheit angegeben. Korrekt muss es beide Male ng m⁻³ …

Environmental chambers are used for a variety of experiments in multiple disciplines but are often prohibitively expensive. In this study, we developed an environmental chamber that allows reliable regulation of temperature and relative humidity in a range typical for warm climatic conditions. As we have only used consumer products, which are readi...

Im Rahmen des Forschungsprojektes „Genese des Karst-Aquifer-Systems des Muschelkalks in Nord-Württemberg“ wurde die isotopische Zusammensetzung von Grundwasser und Niederschlag untersucht. Motivation der Untersuchung ist die weitere Erkundung des Karst-Aquifer-Systems, die bereits seit den 1970er Jahren andauert. Während eine stimmige Vorstellung d...

Die Erforschung der Verkarstung des Muschelkalks fand in den 70er Jahren ihren Anfang. Mittlerweile wurde der Grundwasserleiter in seiner räumlichen und zeitlichen Entwicklung qualitativ beschrieben. Zusätzlich liegen Arbeiten mit dem Ziel der Quantifizierung der beschriebenen Prozesse vor, etwa in Form einer Grundwassermodellierung im Bereich der...

Trihalomethanes (THMs) are toxic disinfection by-products, formed in the reaction of chlorine with organic matter. This work aimed to study THM formation during a unique case study of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) with chlorinated desalinated seawater. THM formation was tested in the field, along a 3.0 m deep vadose zone gallery. Two small-scale e...

Zusammenfassung Gebirge sind wichtige Wasserreservoire und sensible Ökosysteme, die durch atmogene Schadstoffe belastet werden können. Emissionen polyzyklischer aromatischer Kohlenwasserstoffe (PAK) und polychlorierter Biphenyle (PCB) führen zur gasförmigen und partikelgebundenen ubiquitären atmosphärischen PAK- und PCB-Verbreitung und -Deposition....

Increasing water salinity in coastal areas is a concern for the coastal environment. Increased salinity is affecting water quality, freshwater availability, and water-related ecosystems in the southwest coastal region of the Bengal Delta. The study used a synergies and robust approach to assess the possible factors for increasing water salinity in...

Lake Urmia is one of the largest hypersaline lakes on earth with a unique biodiversity. Over the past two decades the lake water level declined dramatically, threatening the functionality of the lake’s ecosystems. There is a controversial debate about the reasons for this decline, with either mismanagement of the water resources, or climatic change...

When biochar (BC) is applied to soil, one process that can alter its properties and contaminant sorption is the leaching of minerals and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). This study investigated changes in properties of three BCs (cattle manure, grain husk, and wood chips), due to leaching, and the subsequent impact on sorption of trichloroethylene (...

The present study was conducted in the south-western part of Bengal Basin, Bangladesh in order to evaluate the geochemical evolution and processes controlling the hydrogeochemical behaviour of the groundwater system of this region. The multivariate statistical methods of hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) wer...

The Hazaribagh industrial area in Dhaka city, the capital of Bangladesh, is considered one of the hotspots of chromium (Cr) pollution, due to excessive discharge of Cr contaminated waste over decades by approximately 150 tanneries. In 2000, elevated Cr concentrations were observed in the underlying Dupi Tila Aquifer (DTA), which is heavily deployed...

The potential of biochar to enhance phytorestoration of hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)]-contaminated soils was investigated. Rooted cuttings of Ficus elastica Roxb. Ex Hornem were transplanted to soil treated with 0 or 25 mg kg−1 Cr(VI), ‒Cr and +Cr designations respectively, and amended with cattle manure-derived biochar at 0, 10 and 50 g kg−1. Plant...

The European Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) considers ‘artificial recharge’ of groundwater as one of the water management tools that can be used by EU Member States to achieve a good groundwater status. It has to be ensured, however, that the necessary regulatory controls are in place to warrant that such practices do not compromise quality...

Calibrating a spatially distributed hydrological model of a region with complex and highly diverse agricultural settings is a difficult task. It becomes even more challenging, if major parts of the hydrology are human controlled, e.g. through irrigation agriculture. In this study, a Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was set up and calibrated fo...

The ability of a soil to sustain infiltration rates and to attenuate pollutants is critical for the design and operation of Managed Aquifer Recharge/Soil Aquifer Treatment and phyto-treatment schemes, also referred to as “Blue Infrastructures”. We investigated the buffering capacity of a sediment sample and a peat soil sample for nutrients and sele...

The study applied a robust integrative study approach to explore significant factors for saltwater intrusion in Southwest Bengal Delta (SwBD). The study used four analytical frameworks in an integrative analytical platform. Hydrochemical framework identify the significant ions (Na+ , Cl-, Mg2+ , Ca2+ , Br and nd SO42-) and ionic ratios (Na/Cl (meq/...

Zusammenfassung Heterogene Datenstrukturen führen bei bundeslandübergreifenden Projekten zur 3D- und Grundwassermodellierung oft zu hohen Barrieren bei der Bearbeitung. Zur Beleuchtung und Überwindung solcher Barrieren wurden in einer Pilotstudie drei grenzübergreifende Projektgebiete (Hessen/Bayern, Hessen/Baden-Württemberg und Hessen/Rheinland-Pf...

Cox’s Bazar is one of the major tourist spots in the south-eastern Bangladesh. Nearly 2 million visitors visit every year due to its unbroken 120 km long sandy beach in dry season. Overexploitation of groundwater and seawater intrusion has been identified as major risks counting on groundwater resources and its sustainability in Cox’s Bazar area. T...

As more regions in the world look to replenish depleted aquifers, treated wastewater (TWW) is increasingly infiltrated in managed aquifer recharge (MAR) schemes. While MAR is a promising emerging technology, it also has the potential to generate pollutants along the infiltration flow path. In this study, we infiltrated treated wastewater through an...

Infiltration of treated wastewater (TWW) to recharge depleted aquifers, often referred to as managed aquifer recharge, is a solution to replenish groundwater resources in regions facing water scarcity. We present a mass balance approach to infer the amounts of five pharmaceuticals (carbamazepine, diclofenac, fenoprofen, gemfibrozil, and naproxen) d...

Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) can be affected by many risks. Those risks are related to different technical and non-technical aspects of recharge, like water availability, water quality, legislation, social issues, etc. Many other works have acknowledged risks of this nature theoretically; however, their quantification and definition has not been...

Lake ecosystems are sensitive recorders of environmental changes that provide continuous archives at annual to decadal resolution over thousands of years. The systematic investigation of land use changes and emission of pollutants archived in Holocene lake sediments as well as the reconstruction of contamination, background conditions, and sensitiv...

Many hydrologic studies require data on the oxygen and hydrogen stable isotope composition (δ¹⁸O, δ²H) of precipitation and various collector designs have been suggested for gathering corresponding samples. Yet, it is crucial that these collectors, also known as totalizers, prevent evaporation and associated isotope fractionation. Surprisingly, we...

The management of groundwater resources in coastal environments within the Mediterranean basin has become of paramount importance, especially in the light of global changes. A typical example of such a hydrosystem is the Lavrio basin in Greece. This research site involves two aquifer types—granular and karstic formations—that are hydraulically inte...

Biochar is increasingly deemed a potential sorbent for contaminants in soil and water remediation. We tested three biochars from different feedstocks (cattle manure, grain husk, and wood chips) produced at relatively low pyrolysis temperature (450 °C), for their sorption behavior towards trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in sing...

Adding biochar to Zn-contaminated soil can immobilize excess Zn and promote plant biomass growth. This was seen previously over the course of a 180-day planted pot trial involving two types of biochar (cattle manure, CM, and grain husk, GH) in a Zn-contaminated soil. Both biochars alleviated Zn-induced phytotoxicity to Ficus by immobilizing Zn and...

The Cox’s Bazar region at the southeastern coast of Bangladesh has been gradually changed from a rural settlement into a densely populated urban area, caused by the rapid growth of tourism. Water demand is mainly covered by groundwater, and the hotels and resorts are typically operating their own groundwater wells without metering and regulations....

Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) activities can be affected by a combination of hazardous events. Those events are related to different aspects of recharge, water availability and quality, engineering issues, etc. Many other works have acknowledged risks of this nature, theoretically, however their quantification and definition has not been developed...

Headwater catchments in the Andes provide critical sources of water for downstream areas with large agricultural communities dependent upon irrigation. Data from such remote headwater catchments are sparse, and there is limited understanding of their hydrological function to guide sustainable water management. Here, we present the findings of repea...

Biochar (BC) is increasingly deemed a potential sorbent for contaminants in soil and water remediation, and brownfield restoration. In this study, sorption and extraction experiments were performed to assess the potential of three different BCs to sorb and retain the chlorinated hydrocarbons trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE). BC...

The hydrogeology of the Dhaka Regional Groundwater Flow System (DGFS) is located in central Bangladesh, consisting of sediment accumulates from the Ganges and Brahmaputra Meghna (GBM) river systems. The DGFS system is stratigraphically and structurally complex and subjected to a variety of structural disruption. These sedi-ment deposits form a comp...

Biochar (BC) is increasingly deemed a potential sorbent for contaminants in soil and water remediation, and brownfield restoration. In this study, sorption and extraction experiments were performed to assess the potential of three different BCs to sorb and retain the chlorinated hydrocarbons trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE). BC...

The EU FP7 project MARSOL addresses water scarcity challenges in arid regions, where managed aquifer recharge (MAR) is an upcoming technology to recharge depleted aquifers using alternative water sources. Within this framework, column experiments were conducted to investigate the fate of pharmaceuticals when secondary treated wastewater (TWW) is in...

Biochar (BC) is increasingly deemed a potential sorbent for contaminants in soil and water remediation, and brownfield restoration. In this study, sorption and extraction experiments were performed to assess the potential of three different BCs to sorb and retain the chlorinated hydrocarbons trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE). BC...

Due to limited availability of surface water, many arid to semi-arid countries rely on their groundwater resources. Despite the quasi-absence of present day replenishment, some of these groundwater bodies contain large amounts of water, which was recharged during pluvial periods of the Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene. These mostly fossil, non-re...