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This study was carried out to investigate the influence of population growth on supply, demand, and quality issues of water resources in the Yarmouk River Basin in Jordan for twenty years. The population growth data for the years 1997 and 2017 was derived from four Jordan governorates, i.e., Mafraq, Irbid, Jerash, and Ajloun, as well as for the population of the Yarmouk Basin was calculated, where a part of the population of these governorates resides within Basin. The water supply and the number of wells were also determined during this study. Various physicochemical parameters of water, like pH, EC, TDS, DO, NO2, and NO3, were also evaluated. Water supply, demand, and quality issues were also identified in collaboration with relevant stakeholders. The study showed an increase in the Kingdom's population in four governorates from about 1.27 to 2.88 million inhabitants, while the population of four governorates in the Yarmouk Basin increased from about 639,992 to 1.53 million inhabitants, and it is more than doubling. Comparing the population with the water supply, the numbers of wells and their uses showed significant changes, as evidenced by the substantial increase in the water supply. The studied physiochemical parameters were within the permissible limits of the National Standards. The critical water issues reported in the study area are difficulties in law enforcement and rapid population growth, which interactively affect the water supply. The study's findings will assist decision-makers in managing future water supplies as they face challenges in securing additional water, and there is an urgent need for research and future scenarios to meet water needs.

This paper investigated the impact of land use/cover changes on the flow of the Zarqa River in Jordan over a period of twenty-eight years. The land use/cover maps were derived using a set of medium spatial images with full scenes for the years 1989, 2002, 2011 and 2017. These images correspond to the river flow data for the same hydrological rainy seasons. The component of the river flow consists of the base-flow, flood and contribution of effluent from treatment plants. Base-flow was separated from hydrographs and effluent contribution was obtained. Runoff coefficient was determined as the ratio of flood volume to rainfall volume. The land use/cover maps were classified as urban fabrics, bare rocks, open rangelands and bare soils, agricultural areas, agro-forestry, and water bodies. During the study period, urban areas increased from 4.87% to 16.14%, and agricultural areas increased from 21.69% to 31.66%. The areas of rangelands and bare soil decreased from 34.91% to 22.57% and bare rocks from 35.98% to 27.57%, respectively. The increase in urban and agricultural areas resulted in runoff coefficient improvement from 1.89% in 1989/1990 to 2.72% for 2016/2017. The results could be useful for planners and decision makers for future flow management in the Zarqa River Basin. The approach and results of this study confirm the findings of similar studies for land and water management.

Olive mill wastewater (OMWW) management is becoming more challenging and a major environmental concern due to several factors including the very complex wastewater, which is considered one of the most difficult to treat. Seasonal production and small scattered family milling businesses have resulted in augmented management challenges. As the eighth largest olive oil exporter, Jordan is not an exception and faces some environmental and management concerns. The country had recently managed OMWW well; however, some issues need to be addressed in order to meet environmental requirements of the growing business. This paper aims at evaluating the Jordanian experience in OMWW management and recommends additional alternatives. OMWW shipping is controlled by a tracking system to designated disposal sites. However, weak enforcement of penalties results in violations. Moreover, current management practical options are limited in view of existing regulations since agricultural land application and decentralized management are discouraged. Legislative gaps are discussed and suggestions for a comprehensive revision established to allow for additional management alternatives. A revised legislative framework that takes into account resource recovery and the valorization of OMWW based on scientific evidence is highly recommended. Highlights OMWW is one of the most complex and difficult to treat wastewaters.; Technological advances for OMWW treatment exist, however, costs are still the most limiting factor in the scale up.; Controlled land application shall be considered for OMWW in Jordan.; Modifying legislations is critical to improve OMWW management in Jordan.

Jordan, the second most water-scarce country in the world, is gradually increasing its reliance on treated wastewater for its water supply; more than 90% of treated wastewater is used either in agricultural or industrial activities in Jordan. However, in Jordan, all treated wastewater plants are constructed upstream of dams, the latter being used to store treated wastewater. Most dams in the country were originally constructed to collect freshwater through rainfalls. Mixing this source of freshwater with treated wastewater decreases the dams' water quality. This study examines the effects of mixing freshwater with treated wastewater in dams by comparing water samples from the outflows of selected wastewater treatment plants and different dams with historical hydrochemical data of dam water before the diversion of treated wastewater. This study finds that the quality of dam water, in which freshwater has been mixed with treated wastewater, notably decreases. Hence, this study formulates policy recommendations on how to ensure a sustainable water supply that ensures the quality necessary to different water uses, making the suggestion of a separate storage system in dams.

This research proposes to design an approach recognizing land use/cover change for Irbid governorate from 1985 to 2015 in 10 years period bases, with an agriculture suitability map using remote sensing and GIS. In this paper, ENVI6 was used to analyse Landsat images, which helps to understand the land uses’ classes. LULC Changes results showed an increase in urban land, from 2% in 1985 reached to 11% in 2015; soil and agricultural classes had declined, in 1985 they were 74% of the total area, and reduced to 67% in 2015. Irbid Governorate’s change detection results revealed that the decline of agriculture and rock land areas is due to the accelerated expansion of urbanization, which negatively affects agricultural lands. Modelling the area showed high suitability for agricultural activities, which should be considered for the upcoming plans.

[EN] Groundwater is a vitally important resource for humans. One of the main problems derived from the overexploitation of aquifers is land subsidence, which in turn carries other associated natural risks. Advanced Differential satellite radar interferometry (A-DInSAR) techniques provide valuable information on the surface displacements of the ground, which serve to characterize both the deformational behaviour of the aquifer and its properties. RESERVOIR is a research project belonging to the European PRIMA programme, whose main objective is to design sustainable groundwater management models through the study of four areas of the Mediterranean subjected to water stress. One of the main tasks of the project is the integration of the terrain deformation data obtained with satellite remote sensing techniques in the hydrogeological and geomechanical models of the aquifers. In the present work, a first evaluation of the deformation of the ground in each study area is carried out using the tools contained in the Geohazards Exploitation Platform (GEP). This is a service financed by the European Space Agency (ESA) that allows processing directly on its server, without need to store data or applications locally., [ES] Las aguas subterráneas son un recurso de vital importancia para el ser humano. Una de las principales problemáticas derivadas de la sobreexplotación de acuíferos es la subsidencia del terreno, que a su vez lleva asociados otros riesgos naturales. Las técnicas avanzadas de interferometría radar diferencial de satélite (A-DInSAR) aportan información muy valiosa sobre los desplazamientos superficiales del terreno, que sirven para caracterizar tanto el comportamiento geomecánico del acuífero como sus propiedades. RESERVOIR es un proyecto de investigación perteneciente al programa europeo PRIMA, cuyo principal objetivo es diseñar modelos sostenibles de gestión de aguas subterráneas mediante el estudio de cuatro zonas del Mediterráneo sometidas a estrés hídrico. Una de las principales tareas del proyecto es la integración de los datos de deformación del terreno obtenidos con técnicas de teledetección por satélite en los modelos hidrogeológicos y geomecánicos de los acuíferos. En el presente trabajo se realiza una primera evaluación de la deformación del terreno en cada zona de estudio utilizando las herramientas contenidas en la Geohazards Exploitation Platform (GEP). Este servicio financiado por la Agencia Espacial Europea (ESA) permite realizar procesados directamente en su servidor, sin necesidad de almacenar datos ni aplicaciones en local., This work was supported by RESERVOIR project, which is part of the PRIMA Programme supported under Horizon 2020 the European Union's Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. Grant Agreement number: [1924] [RESERVOIR] [Call 2019 Section 1 Water RIA]. Copernicus Sentinel-1 IW SAR data were provided and processed in ESA’s Geohazards Exploitation Platform (GEP), in the framework of the GEP Early Adopters Programme.

As a potential approach for enhanced energy generation from anaerobic digestion, iron-based conductive nanoparticles have been proposed to enhance the methane production yield and rate. In this study, the impact of two different types of iron nanoparticles, namely the nano-zero-valent-iron particles (NZVIs) and magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (NPs) was investigated, using batch test under mesophilic conditions (35 &deg, C). Magnetite NPs have been applied in doses of 25, 50 and 80 mg/L, corresponding to 13.1, 26.2 and 41.9 mg magnetite NPs/gTS of substrate, respectively. The results reveal that supplementing anaerobic batches with magnetite NPs at a dose of 25 mg/L induces an insignificant effect on hydrolysis and methane production. However, incubation with 50 and 80 mg/L magnetite NPs have instigated comparable positive impact with hydrolysis percentages reaching approximately 95% compared to 63% attained in control batches, in addition to a 50% enhancement in methane production yield. A biodegradability percentage of 94% was achieved with magnetite NP doses of 50 and 80 mg/L, compared to only 62.7% obtained with control incubation. NZVIs were applied in doses of 20, 40 and 60 mg/L, corresponding to 10.8, 21.5 and 32.2 mg NZVIs/gTS of substrate, respectively. The results have shown that supplementing anaerobic batches with NZVIs revealed insignificant impact, most probably due to the agglomeration of NZVI particles and consequently the reduction in available surface area, making the applied doses insufficient for measurable effect.

Azraq basin is one of the most important groundwater basins in Jordan. Trend analysis using RClimDex for six rainfall stations and two metrological stations was performed to detect and predict climate change impacts on the Azraq basin until the year 2030. Three absolute homogeneity tests were used to detect any variation in the data time series. The results showed that monthly max value of daily mean temp, tropical night, monthly maximum value of daily maximum temp, monthly maximum value of daily minimum temp and cool days were found to be statistically significant climate change indices. The trend of the max temperature during July is significant, while insignificant trend for the minimum temperature in the same month was noticed. The frequency of days in which the maximum temperature exceeded 38 °C increased and there was increase in the minimum temperature count of values that are exceeding 20 °C in the last 46 years. Regarding the rainfall, there is no change in total annual precipitation over the study area during the studied period. The results of simulating climate change impact into the evaporation showed expected increase by 4.74 and 5.32% for Al Butum and El Janab wadis, respectively, during the period of 2013–2030. Streamflow analysis showed slight decrease by 1.51 and 1.02% for both wadis, respectively.

Drought is one of the most unforgiving natural disasters that could leave severe environmental, economic, and societal impacts. Jordan has witnessed several droughts recently along with recurring summer heat waves, which could be a consequence of global warming, and due to the fact that freshwater resources in Jordan are scarce, it is vital to utilize proper modeling and forecasting techniques that will improve the country’s preparedness for possible future droughts. In this study, the annual precipitation data for Amman-Zarqa Basin over the 1980–2016 record were analyzed to identify the occurrence of major droughts in 21 rain stations. Three dimensionless indices which depend solely on precipitation were applied: standardized precipitation index (SPI), standardized precipitation ratio (SPR), and percentage departure from normal (PDN). A comparison was also made among these indices and it was concluded that the SPR and PDN predicted higher numbers of moderate and severe droughts on the expense of extreme droughts compared to the SPI. It was also found that the 1998–1999 year was the driest year in the studied record in which 15 out of 21 stations witnessed extreme droughts. SPI trends were analyzed using the Mann-Kendall test, and it was found that most of the stations experienced negative trends implying increasing droughts over recent years; however, the trends were statistically insignificant for most stations.

It has been argued recently that green growth is the only economic development pathway to secure a sustainable future. The Government of Jordan has launched a National Green Growth Plan aiming to facilitate the transition towards green growth in six priority sectors; amongst those is the solid waste management sector. Jordan Vision 2025 has set a 33% reduction target in the solid waste amounts disposed in landfills or dumpsites by 2025. This study examines the development of the municipal solid waste management sector in Jordan from sustainability standpoint and presents potential scenarios to attain Jordan Vision 2025 target and gradually place this sector on a green growth path. The Sustainability Window analysis tool was used to assess the sustainability of this sector over the 2010–2015 period. This tool identifies whether the economic growth maintains the social and environmental wellbeing using strong and weak environmental, social inclusion, and economic indicators. Three scenarios to address Jordan Vision 2025 target were proposed and compared using the Sustainability Window tool: Mechanical biological treatment-anaerobic digestion, mechanical biological treatment-composting, and incineration. It was concluded from the sustainability window analysis of the 2010–2015 data that the total number of jobs in the municipal solid waste management sector is a weak social inclusion indicator compared to the stronger one “jobs per 10,000 tonnes”. Likewise, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per tonne is a weak environmental indicator unlike the stronger “net GHG emissions”. It was also inferred from the Sustainability Window analysis that the 2010–2015 Jordanian municipal solid waste sector growth did not fulfill all sustainability criteria. The proposed future scenarios were compared and it was determined that the mechanical biological treatment alternatives fulfill all sustainability criteria regardless of the indicators’ strength, whereas the incineration scenario only satisfies the sustainability criteria using weak environmental indicators. Nonetheless, mechanical biological treatment-composting is the most attractive scenario from an economic perspective owing to the lower GHG mitigation cost of $18.3 per tCO2-eq compared to $35.5/tCO2-eq for the mechanical biological treatment-anaerobic digestion and $161.7/tCO2-eq for incineration.

Although the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for use of wastewater, greywater and excreta in agriculture were available for quite some time, such guidelines were not adopted by most countries due to difficulties in implementation. A critical step for rendering such guidelines applicable is the development of a detailed implementation plan, which had been recently recognized as Sanitation Safety Planning (SSP). The plan shall ultimately define roles and responsibilities of different authorities and other role players in the whole process. A manual that presents a step-by-step guidance for the development of the SSP was recently published by WHO. A proper framework is often necessary for a country to develop the detailed Sanitation Safety Plans (SSPs). The framework should formulate roles and responsibilities associated with the implementation process and introduce them to different authorities for feedback and approval before investing in a detailed SSP. This chapter first introduces SSP in brief and its framework and then further presents examples from Jordan in which the WHO 2006 guidelines were validated and a framework for SSP was developed in consultation with different authorities. Jordan has relatively advanced experience in wastewater use in irrigation stemming from the high demand for managing its extremely limited water resources. Accordingly, the country specified guidelines JS1766/2014 that adapts the WHO 2006 wastewater management approaches to aim for the full utilization of resources. The new guidelines allow the use of wastewater for unrestricted irrigation. Restrictions were shifted to agricultural practices and other downstream practices that are believed to guarantee a produce complying with the current standards. The framework developed in this context supports the current standards and laid the foundation for the development of detailed SSPs.

All streams and rivers naturally overflow periodically. In the study area, flooding is a result of rainfall exceeding the absorptive capacity of soil and the flow capacity of waterways. In November, 2009, more than 90 mm of rain fell in Jeddah during just 4 h; this was nearly twice the average rainfall for an entire year and the heaviest rainfall in Saudi Arabia in a decade. Synthetic unit hydrograph theory is utilized in the hydrologic analysis in order to determine the peak flow discharge that hit Jeddah city. Flood hydrograph determination is essential for the assessment of water resource potential and for the design of various hydraulic structures. Unit hydrographs were derived for twelve main wadies in the Jeddah basin and the peak flow discharge was estimated by utilizing two models: routing unit hydrograph and Snyder unit hydrograph. Regression relationships as a simple power function between drainage area, number of the channels in the catchment, their total length, and the flow discharge were developed. In addition, the relationships between drainage density, drainage frequency, and infiltration capacity were founded. The results were discussed and compared with those derived and developed by other investigators. The relations between these variables were found to be so strong, that it was possible to estimate peak runoff for ungauged drainage basins.

To overcome the problems of segregation between the rubber particles and the asphalt binder in the crumb rubber modified asphalts (CRMAs) different solutions were tested, including the establishment of chemical bonds between the different components of CRMA and the asphalt materials. In this research, a chemical method was employed to treat variously manufactured (ambient and cryogenic grinded) crumb rubbers’ surfaces in order to graft functional groups and improve bitumen-rubber compatibility and reduce segregation. In general, 400 g of crumb rubber was heated to 80±2°C and was continuously stirred with 100.1 ml of hydrogen peroxide and 90.1 ml of FeSO4 for 30 min. Then the activated crumb rubber was processed into asphalt for 60 min at 177±2°C. Hydrogen peroxide treatment significantly reduced phase separation; it produced even more stable suspension when FeSO4 catalyst was employed. The surface differences of cryogenic and ambient grinded rubbers resulted differences in the flow properties, especially ...

Jordan is very vulnerable to drought because of its location in the arid to semi-arid part of the Middle East. Droughts coupled with water scarcity are becoming a serious threat to the economic growth, social cohesion and political stability. Rainfall time series from four rain stations covering the Jordan River Basin were analyzed for drought characterization and forecasting using standardized precipitation index (SPI), Markov chain and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model. The 7-year moving average of Amman data showed a decreasing trend while data from the other three stations were stable or showed an increasing trend. The frequency analysis indicated 2-year return period for near zero SPI values while the return period for moderate drought was 7 years. Successive droughts had occurred at least three times during the past 40 years. Severe droughts are expected once every 20 - 25 year period at all rain stations. The extreme droughts were rare events with return periods between 80 and 115 years. There are equal occurrence probabilities for drought and wet conditions in any given year, irrespective, of the condition in the previous year. The results showed that ARIMA model was successful in predicting the overall statistics with a given period at annual scales. The overall number of predicted/observed droughts during the validation periods were 2/2 severe droughts for Amman station and, 0/1, 1/1, 0/1 extreme droughts for Amman, Irbid and Mafraq stations, respectively. In addition, the ARIMA model also predicted 3 out of 4 actual moderate droughts for Amman and Mafraq stations. It was concluded that early warning of developing droughts can be deduced form the monthly Markov transitional probabilities. ARIMA models can be used as a forecasting tool of the future drought trends. Using the first and second order Markov probabilities can complement the ARIMA predictions.

The use of furfural (C 5 H 4 O 2 ) as an activation agent has been suggested as a method to improve the rheological properties of asphalt binders due to its compatibility with crumb rubber. This study uses five different crude sources and both ambient and cryogenic produced crumb rubber modifiers (CRM). The rheological properties for furfural activated and conventional CRM binders were evaluated using the dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) and the gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The results indicated that furfural activation has variable effects on the properties of the CRM binder. However, the most pronounced effect is shown in the storage stability improvement which will have an effect on the storage of CRM binder. Also, the activation caused a reduction in the ratio of the small molecular size distribution which is considered an improvement in the binder properties.

Lamella settlers were used to increase sludge concentration in pilot scale UASB reactors treating concentrated sewage at low temperature. The aim was to increase sludge retention time (SRT) and achieve better digestion in UASB reactors without the need for increasing the hydraulic retention time (HRT). Two modified UASB reactors were used for this purpose. In the first reactor, lamella settlers were installed in the settling zone of the UASB reactor and the reactor was named UASB-ESR1. In the second reactor, lamella settlers were installed underneath the gas liquid separator (GLS) and the reactor was named UASB-ESR2. The sludge concentration, sludge profile, and system performance of each reactor were monitored. The obtained sludge concentrations were 50 and 53 g TS/l for UASB-ESR1 and UASB-ESR2, respectively. The measured concentrations were almost double the concentrations reported for conventional UASB reactors ranging 16-26 g TS/l. The calculated SRT in the modified UASB reactors was 103 days in both reactors. The average total COD (COD(tot)) and suspended COD (COD(ss)) removal efficiencies were 38% and 60%, respectively for the UASB-ESR1. The average COD(tot) and COD(ss) removal efficiencies for the UASB-ESR2 were 41% and 62%, respectively. The modified reactors were considered at the startup period and the performances of the modified systems are expected to significantly improve when arriving at steady state conditions.

Hot water activation of crumb rubber has been suggested as a method of improving compatibility between crumb rubber and asphalt binder. This procedure removes light oil fractions present in the crumb rubber particles, thus decreasing segregation occurring between rubber particles and binder. For this research, a PG 64-22 binder was modified with four different crumb rubber sources at concentration of 15% by weight of binder. Binder properties were evaluated for virgin binders, water-activated crumb rubber-modified (CRM) binders, and for non-activated CRM binders. CRM surface morphologies were studied using a scanning electron microscope, molecular size distributions of modified binders were determined using gel permeation chromatography, while storage stability was evaluated by cigar tube testing. Rheological properties of the CRM binder were investigated; improved phase separation properties were observed following water activation, however, these improvements did not result in improved rheological prope...

This paper describes the development of an empirical model which may be used for predicting the G */sin δ for neat and crumb rubber modified (CRM) binders. The model was developed using 36 unique CRM binder combinations, crumb rubber concentrations were varied at 5% intervals between 5% and 20%. The effects of crumb rubber particle size on model accuracy were also studied, ultimately a model was produced with the capability of predicting G */sin δ values over a range of temperatures and crumb rubber concentrations. By definition, the upper limit of the performance grade is dependent on the G */sin δ value; therefore, the relationship was also considered in terms of high end failure temperature. The rubber coefficient for G */sin δ ( R cg ) was identified as an important parameter in the estimation of G */sin δ in addition to the CRM. This term is a quantitative representation of the increase typically witnessed in G */sin δ values with the addition of CRM. Ambient ground CRM exhibited higher R cg values than cryogenically ground particles. Additionally, 95% confidence intervals were generated for the predictive model, thus providing a range of accuracy for the model. The resulting confidence intervals were approximately ±1300 Pa, these confidence intervals were seen to capture 92.6% of the 462 data points used. Findings from this research suggest that the differences between cryogenic and ambient CRM binder are accurately described using the R cg , furthermore binder properties may be predicted using an empirical equation.

Both the rolling thin film oven test (RTFOT) and the short-term oven aging (STOA) methods are used in the laboratory to represent the aging of an asphalt binder during plant mixing, transportation and paving. The RTFOT is conducted at 163 °C for 85 min, and the recommended STOA methods are to heat the loose mix in a forced draft oven either at 135 °C for 4 h or at 154 °C for 2 h dependent on the asphalt binder’s stiffness. The actual time of short-term aging in the field varies depending on hauling distances or paving times. This research was initiated to compare the aging effects of the RTFOT and the STOA methods using the gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and selected Superpave binder tests. For this study, nine asphalt binders were prepared, and five aging periods were used for the RTFOT and four aging treatments were selected for the STOA. Loose asphalt mixes were obtained from six field projects. The results of GPC test showed that the RTFOT method has less aging effect on the binders than the STOA methods for asphalt mixtures prepared in the laboratory. Given the limited number of samples from the field, it was difficult to find any correlation of short-term aging between the laboratory and the field. The longer the aging time in the RTFOT led to an increase in the high temperature viscosity and the high failure temperature of asphalt binders, the only exception being the rubber-modified binders. The GPC was effective in evaluating the aging effect of rubber-modified binders using different RTFOT aging times.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the adequacy of the 100-year discharge along with the Froehlich bridge abutment scour equation adopted by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHwA) in predicting abutment scour for bridge design purposes in South Carolina streams. The analysis utilized bridge properties, stream cross-sectional and hydraulic data, local flood frequency equations, a one-dimensional steady river flow computer model (WSPRO), and procedures recommended by the FHwA for predicting abutment scour. A method was developed to identify the single stream-discharge at each bridge that can cause the abutment scour that was observed at 73 bridge abutments. Analysis of the results revealed that for one-third of the abutments in the sandy soil region of South Carolina, the flow rates required to produce the observed scour depths had return periods greater than 100 years. Although for bridges in the region dominated by clay soil, the return periods were significantly smaller than 100 years.

This paper examines the effects of different crumb rubber sources on Crumb Rubber Modified (CRM) binder failure temperatures as defined by the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) testing procedures. Focus is on identifying crumb rubber properties that affect the rutting susceptibility of the CRM binders. Four crumb rubber sources' properties are identified by: grinding procedure, elemental analysis, and glass transition temperature.

Volumes of rainwater harvested on-site are estimated by short-term storage capacity by two methods: graphical method and analytical method. The first method considers the difference between demand and supply over a specified period of time. The second uses random events to determine analytically, the storage capacity required to guarantee the draft. The comparison between the two methods indicates that there are minor differences. Based on the volume of water harvested after applying these methods, run-off coefficient for impervious surface in arid and semi-arid area was estimated. New analytical approach for long-term storage capacity is utilized to estimate the detention pond capacity off-site for the local natural streams. To apply this method, it is necessary to estimate the overall mean storage capacity in which the soil conservation service method is utilized. This technique is confirmed with graphical method.