Toxicity of leachates from pilot reactors simulating a landfill with different concentrations of AgNP

Abstract

This work’s objective was to verify the leachates toxicity from pilot reactors (PR) simulating a landfill containing different concentrations of silver nanoparticles (AgNP). Acute toxicity tests (48 h) with Daphnia magna were carried out in leachates containing 50, 150 and 450 mg AgNP.kg-1, in addition to a blank for control. Toxicity tests with the pure solution of silver nanoparticle and leachates resulted by the reactors were performed. The acute toxicity tests performed with D. magna confirmed the toxicity of the leachates, as well as confirmed that the silver nanoparticles are toxic, presenting EC50 (48 h) of 0.63 μg.L-1 of pure nanoparticle and ranging from 1.52 to 3.37% for the leachates. Overall, the results from the present study indicate that exposures of aquatic invertebrates to silver nanoparticles could have important ecological effects on lower trophic levels in aquatic ecosystems. The results may contribute to a better understanding of the quality of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill leachates, with reference to nanoparticle interference and consequent treatment efficiency.