Geochemical modeling of the evaporation process in salinized reservoirs in the semi-arid region of Northeastern Brazil

Modelagem geoquímica do processo de evaporação em reservatórios salinizados no semiárido do Nordeste do Brasil

ABSTRACT

The geochemical characterization of saline water in reservoirs located in semi-arid regions is an important issue to be addressed, as it allows us to understand the deterioration of water quality caused by evaporation. In this study, the Gibbs diagram, ionic ratios and geochemical modeling were employed to decipher the geochemical processes that affect the chemical water evolution of three saline reservoirs located in the semi-arid region of Sergipe state, Northeastern Brazil. The reservoirs geochemical processes mainly include sea salt dissolution, silicate weathering, ion exchange, with a limited contribution from the dissolution of carbonates. Geochemical modeling confirmed that evaporation-crystallization is the main mechanism that controls the chemical composition of water, leading to increased concentrations of Na⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺ and Cl^-, and reduction of HCO₃^- by precipitation of calcite and dolomite. Furthermore, the simulated models reproduced the trend observed in the real hydrochemical data and indicated excellent agreement between the simulated ion concentrations and the real ion concentrations for most of the larger ions. The highest deviation was observed for HCO₃ whose actual concentrations were much higher than those predicted by the modeling, attributed to kinetic restrictions concerning calcite precipitation.

Keywords:  Geochemical modeling; Evapoconcentration; PHREEQC; Ionic ratios