Landfill leachates contain a heavy load of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), posing a threat to water resources. Therefore, it is highly important to understand the processes that control its evolution (speciation, accumulation, or attenuation) during the percolation of leachates through the unsaturated zone, finally affecting the groundwater. However, tracking DIN transformations in this complex and inaccessible environment is challenging, and knowledge concerning this important topic under field conditions is scarce.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLeachate contamination from uncontrolled landfills is a long-lasting environmental hazard that threatens groundwater resources worldwide. We developed a holistic site-characterization approach that incorporates leachate data from the waste body, unsaturated zone, and groundwater with information on landfill geomorphology and climatic conditions. An advanced vadose-zone monitoring system was used to characterize the percolation patterns and chemical properties of the leachates in the waste body and underlying unsaturated zone; a set of observation wells was used to characterize the contaminants' distribution in the groundwater.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLeachates from solid-waste landfills are considered a severe threat to groundwater quality. The fate of pollutants in the waste and underlying unsaturated zone is crucial for evaluating environmental risks and selecting a restoration strategy. In this study, a vadose-zone monitoring system (VMS) installed in a municipal landfill was used, for the first time, to continuously track leachates percolation dynamics and assess their chemical transformation across the entire thickness of the waste body (15m) and underlying unsaturated zone (16m) to the water table.
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