Household hazardous waste disposal to landfill: using LandSim to model leachate migration.
Municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill leachate contains a number of aquatic pollutants. A specific MSW stream often referred to as household hazardous waste (HHW) can be considered to contribute a large proportion of these pollutants. This paper describes the use of the LandSim (Landfill Performance Simulation) modelling program to assess the environmental consequences of leachate release from a generic MSW landfill in receipt of co-disposed HHW. Heavy metals and organic pollutants were found to migrate into the zones beneath a model landfill site over a 20,000-year period. Arsenic and chromium were found to exceed European Union and US-EPA drinking water standards at the unsaturated zone/aquifer interface, with levels of mercury and cadmium exceeding minimum reporting values (MRVs). The findings demonstrate the pollution potential arising from HHW disposal with MSW.
Slack
Rebecca J
RJ
Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2BP, UK.
Gronow
Jan R
JR
Hall
David H
DH
Voulvoulis
Nikolaos
N
D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis; D002104:Cadmium / Q000032:analysis; D002857:Chromium / Q000032:analysis; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006256:Hazardous Waste; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / Q000032:analysis; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis; D008738:Methyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis; D008956:Models, Chemical; D012984:Software; D018505:Waste Management / Q000379:methods*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*
D000393:Air Pollutants; D006256:Hazardous Waste; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D008738:Methyl Ethers; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002104:Cadmium; D002857:Chromium; C043243:methyl tert-butyl ether; D008628:Mercury; D001151:Arsenic