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Leachate |
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Landfill leachate |
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The major environmental concern associated with landfills is related to discharge of leachate into the environment and the current landfill technology is primarily determined by the need to prevent and control leachate problems. The most typical detrimental effect of leachate discharge into the environment is that of groundwater pollution. Leachate pollution is the result of a mass transfer process. Waste entering the landfill reactor undergoes biological, chemical and physical transformations which are controlled, among other influencing factors, by water input fluxes. Discharge of leachate into the environment is nowadays considered under more restrictive views. The reasons for this are • Many severe cases of groundwater pollution at landfills • The greater hazard posed by the size of landfill which is larger than in the past • The need to comply with more and more restrictive legislation regarding quality standards for wastewater discharges • With integrated waste management strategy the volume of refuse will be reduced but more hazardous waste may need to be landfilled, e.g. combustion residues, hazardous components consequent to separate collection, etc. • More and more often landfills are located on the ground or on a slope and in both cases accumulation of leachate may be a negative factor with respect to geotechnical stability. The leachate problem accompanies landfill from its beginning to many decades after closure. This means that leachate management facilities should also last and their effectiveness be ensured over a long period of time-so far, this still remains to be proven. : |
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University of Padua IMAGE Department |
