Effect of high saline geothermal fluid on soil and surface water: A case study from Tuzla, Çanakkale-Turkey

Abstract

Geothermal energy can be defined as a heat from core of Earth and utilized for power generation, district heating and greenhouse. Use of geothermal energy has low environmental impact, particularly when compared with fossil fuels. However, geothermal fluid has some adverse effects for environment for instance contamination of surface water and soil. Examples of these effects occur in different parts of world. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of geothermal fluid particularly on surface water and soil in Tuzla Geothermal Field (TGF) where is located on Biga Peninsula, in the northwestern of Anatolia. TGF is 5 km far from Aegean Sea and 80 km south of Çanakkale. Geothermal fluid of TGF has high salinity (EC > 91 mS/cm) and high temperature (reservoir temperature is 173 °C). Water samples were taken from February 2012 to April 2013 to determine the physical and chemical (major anioncations and heavy metals) properties of the surface water quality. Furthermore, the soil samples analyzed for physical and chemical properties. All data were evaluated with ArcGIS 10.1 and Aquachem 4.0 software. The results showed that the levels of some major element such as Lityum (4-7 ppm), Barium (1-4 ppm) and Manganese (1-5 ppm) and some heavy metals such as Boron (> 13 ppm) and Strontium (> 14 ppm) in surface water, exceeded national and international limits. Boron and Strontium values of creek ranged from 13 to 27 ppm and from 14 to 154 ppm, respectively. Soil samples contain high concentration of Silisium (> 23800 mg/kg) and Aluminum (> 9000 mg/kg). Particularly, the uncontrolled discharge of geothermal fluid that is rich in terms of toxic elements into soil and surface water resources of the area influences other potential uses of these resources.