Modelling of groundwater contamination by landfill leachate

Abstract

The objective of this study is to investigate the transport of phenolic compounds existing in leachate through landfill liner systems by assessing the groundwater quality. Four identical pilot-scale landfill reactors with different alternative composite liners (2 mm high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembrane, 10 + 10 cm compacted clay, 2-cm-thick bentonite and 10 + 10 cm compacted clay liner (CCL), 2-cm-thick zeolite and 10 + 10 cm CCL) were simultaneously operated for a period of about 540 days for this purpose. Wastes representing Istanbul municipal solid wastes were disposed in the reactors. To represent bioreactor landfills, reactors were operated by leachate recirculation. Phenolic compounds of leachate were analyzed by using Gas Chromatograph. The change of phenolic compounds concentration in groundwater samples were modeled by using modified Gompertz equation. © 2011 WIT Press.