Past, Present, and Future of Groundwater Remediation Research: A Scientometric Analysis

Qibin Chen, Guilian Fan, Wei Na, Jiming Liu, Jianguo Cui and Hongyan Li
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Qibin Chen: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Jinzhong 030600, China
Guilian Fan: Faculty of Business Administration, Shanxi University of Finance and Economics, Taiyuan 030006, China
Wei Na: Shanxi Province C&M Operation Center for Xishan Yellow River-lifting Irrigation Project, Taiyuan 030002, China
Jiming Liu: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Jinzhong 030600, China
Jianguo Cui: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Jinzhong 030600, China
Hongyan Li: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Jinzhong 030600, China

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 20, 1-17

Abstract: In this study, we characterize the body of knowledge of groundwater remediation from 1950 to 2018 by employing scientometric techniques and CiteSpace software, based on the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E) databases. The results indicate that the United States and China contributed 56.4% of the total publications and were the major powers in groundwater remediation research. In addition, the United States, Canada, and China have considerable capabilities and expertise in groundwater remediation research. Groundwater remediation research is a multidisciplinary field, covering water resources, environmental sciences and ecology, environmental sciences, and engineering, among other fields. Journals such as Environmental Science and Technology, Journal of Contaminant Hydrology , and Water Research were the major sources of cited works. The research fronts of groundwater remediation were transitioning from the pump-and-treat method to permeable reactive barriers and nanoscale zero?valent iron particles. The combination of new persulfate ion?activation technology and nanotechnology is receiving much attention. Based on the visualized networks, the intelligence base was verified using a variety of metrics. Through landscape portrayal and developmental trajectory identification of groundwater remediation research, this study provides insight into the characteristics of, and global trends in, groundwater remediation, which will facilitate the identification of future research directions.

Keywords: groundwater remediation; research fronts; timeline; scientometrics; CiteSpace; visualization research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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