Impact Assessment of 2020 COVID-19 Lockdown on Landfill Leachate Treatment in Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

In 2020, Brazil adopted different Non-Pharmacological Intervention measures (NPIs) to reduce the levels of transmission and contagion of the novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen causing the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this work was to evaluate the impact of Non-Pharmacological Intervention measures on the composition and treatment efficacy of Landfill Leachate treated by Reverse Osmosis in the city of Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro. It was observed that the Lockdown and the massive use of personal hygiene/cleaning materials, as well as the increase in food consumption, provided an unprecedented 140% overload in the daily generation of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in the Campos dos Goytacazes Landfill. The Leachate from this Landfill presented a slightly alkaline pH (pH ≈ 8.0), high concentrations of dissolved organic matter (BOD5 and COD), and ammoniacal nitrogen. In addition, it was observed that 23% of the parameters in the raw leachate exceeded the respective maximum allowable values recommended by the federal legislation. However, in the period evaluated by this study, the Reverse Osmosis was technically and environmentally effective in treating the raw leachate, not being observed any result in the treated leachate that exceeded the Resolution CONAMA 430/2011.