Contaminant migration from sanitary landfill leachate through soil monoliths

Abstract

It is well known that the leachates from solid domestic waste sanitary landfills are heavily polluted with organic and inorganic substances. As they are of a potential danger for the environment, their uncontrolled seepage is avoided in the modern sanitary landfills by means of suitable insulation. This is mostly made of natural materials with a low filtration coefficient. The present paper considers the results of the filtration characteristics, studying natural clayey soil model liners. The leachate contaminants distribution from the sanitary landfill in Sofia (Suhodol) is traced out in different liner depths. The mechanism of pollutant attenuation in the liners is considered. It is found that a part of the leachate components (Fe, Mn, SO42−, PO43−) stays in clayey liners. Besides, as a result of pore colmatation the permeability of the liners is decreased. It is shown that soil monoliths with a proper thickness might serve as a sufficiently safe barrier against leachate filtration in adjacent aquifers. On the base of the results obtained the thickness of the clay liners in the solid domestic waste sanitary landfills could be optimized.