Development of a Conceptual, Mathematical, and System Dynamics Model for Landfill Water Treatment

Abstract

Leachate is a major problem in landfills due to the type and amount of pollutants. In Croatia, the usual way of handling leachate is recirculation back to the landfill body. However, this method poses a danger of pollutant leakage into the environment, especially during periods of increased precipitation. Leachate is heavily polluted with organic matter, and its spillage into the environment can cause environmental incidents. This paper presents a model for the efficient treatment of landfill water contaminated with organic matter based on the operating parameters of the existing water treatment system. This scientific research aims to develop a model for landfill water treatment and to design a methodology suitable for significant patterns of organic matter pollution behaviour. The developed conceptual model is a computer-based model that uses randomly selected values from the theoretical probability distribution of the applied variables. The mathematical model is based on a system of differential equations solved by the Runge-Kutta method. A non-parametric test was applied to validate the model, given that the distributions are asymmetric non-Gaussian. The methodology proposed in this paper is based on simulation modelling as a useful method in environmental protection. The developed and validated model has proven that landfill water can be effectively and economically purified. Simulation modelling and environmental informatics can effectively contribute to solving environmental problems on the computer without unnecessary environmental risk.