Evaluation of the Physical-Chemical Characteristics of the Leachate Generated in the Sanitary Landfill of Maceió – AL
Waste; Leachate; Landfill; Physical-Chemical Characterization.
Sanitary landfills are techniques for the disposal of urban solid waste on the ground, best known and used worldwide, and constitute large and important geostructures, whose safety and operability are directly related to environmental and public health issues. It is a dynamic system, which varies according to its composition, and it is over time of the degradation process that its physical, chemical, physicochemical and biological relationships are established. Therefore, the disposal of MSW in landfills requires daily monitoring for the application of environmental protection measures, since, as landfill MSW is biodegraded, leachate is generated. Leachate, a contaminating liquid, is the result of a mixture of water that infiltrates and percolates through the landfilled residues, together with their decomposition products. As its varied composition makes it difficult to choose a continuously efficient treatment, it is one of the main environmental challenges, as without a previous adequate treatment, it can lead to contamination of the soil and surface and underground water resources. In this context, the main objective of this work was to evaluate the physicochemical parameters (pH, total alkalinity, volatile fatty acids, chlorides, COD, BOD, heavy metals and total ammoniacal nitrogen) of the leachate from the Maceió/AL landfill, in order to determine the phases of decomposition of the fractions of the disposed waste. The information will be obtained through on-site visits, material collection, as well as the laboratory analysis of the leachate, and it is expected that this analysis will establish a technical database for the management of urban solid waste, in addition to qualitatively evaluating the its toxicity and possible environmental and public health impacts if released without proper treatment.