Geoenvironmental site investigation using different techniques in a municipal solid waste disposal site in Brazil

Different geoenvironmental site investigation techniques to assess contamination from a municipal solid waste disposal site in Brazil are presented here. Superficial geophysical investigation (geoelectrical survey), resistivity piezocone penetration tests (RCPTU), soil samples collected with direct-push samplers and water samples collected from monitoring wells were applied in this study. The application of the geoelectrical method was indispensable to identify the presence and flow direction of contamination plumes (leachate) as well as to indicate the most suitable locations for RCPTU tests and soil and water sampling. Chemical analyses of groundwater samples contributed to a better understanding of the flow of the contaminated plume. The piezocone presented some limitations for tropical soils, since the groundwater level is sometimes deeper than the layer which is impenetrable to the cone, and the soil genesis and unsaturated conditions affect soil behavior. The combined interpretation of geoelectrical measurements and soil and water samplings underpinned the interpretation of RCPTU tests. The interpretation of all the test results indicates that the contamination plume has already overreached the landfill's west-northwest borders. Geoenvironmental laboratory test results suggest that contamination from the solid waste disposal site has been developing gradually, indicating the need for continuous monitoring of the groundwater.

Estimativa do tempo de produção de chorume em aterro controlado por meio de medidas de resistividade elétrica

Landfill is an engineering work that aims at to accommodate residues in the smallest possible space in the soil, with minimum damages to the environment and the public health. One in the constructive forms of a controlled landfill is the excavation of ditches with appropriate dimensions, for disposition of solid residues without compactation or impermeabilization. Liquid effluents generated for similar volumes of residues, disposed in ditches with ages different from closing, it should result in physical and chemical alterations you correlated at the time of residence materials. With base in this hypothesis, measures of electric resistivity were accomplished through the of Eletrical Resistivity geophysical method, on residues ditches closed annually between 12/2001 and 12/2007, localized in control landfill of the Cordeirópolis city (SP). The leachate is a liquid effluent generated by the decomposition of organic matter and characterized by high content in total dissolved solids, whose interaction with geological environment results in alterations in terms of electrical resistivity susceptible to detection for the geophysical instrumental. The results suggest a resistivity reduction for leachate percolation produced for ditches recently and increase progressive of the resistivity for older ditches. The statistical comparative analysis with reference values for the area suggests ages of the finish production and percolation leachate for soil and rock below the ditches.

Relationship between age of waste and natural electric potential generation in Sanitary Landfill

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Tratamento de chorume através de percolação em solos empregados como material de cobertura de aterros para resíduos sólidos urbanos

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Caracterização de impacto ambiental no solo em um aterro de pequeno porte

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Geofísica aplicada no monitoramento de área de disposição de resíduos sólidos domiciliares

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

MÉTODOS DA ELETRORESISTIVIDADE E DA POLARIZAÇÃO INDUZIDA APLICADOS NO ESTUDO DO ATERRO

Investigações geofísicas, pelos métodos geoelétricos de eletrorresistividade e polarização induzida (IP), através das técnicas de sondagem elétrica vertical e caminhamento elétrico (configurações Schlumberger e dipolo-dipolo), foram executadas na área do aterro controlado da cidade de Piracicaba (SP), com o objetivo de avaliar as potencialidades da integração dos métodos na caracterização geoelétrica da área. A área sobre a qual está assentado o aterro de Piracicaba é constituída por sedimentos da Formação Corumbataí (sedimentos argilosos e/ou silto-argilosos, com intercalações de arenitos). A interpretação conjunta da resistividade e da polarizabilidade permitiu mapear zonas de percolação de chorume e identificar os diferentes litotipos das formação, identificando materiais arenosos e siltosos. Ficou evidente que a polarizabilidade é sensível à presença de resíduos urbanos e que o efeito de IP é relacionado a materiais polarizáveis dispostos na cava, como latas, papéis, restos eletrônicos e materiais de empréstimo utilizados para a cobertura dos resíduos. Além disso, o método de IP pode ser mais indicado para o mapeamento de zonas de resíduos onde não exista contraste de resistividade entre o meio natural e os resíduos. Palavras-chave: Eletrorresisitividade, polarização induzida, aterro sanitário.

Identifying problems for choosing suitable areas for installation of a new landfill through GIS technology: A case study

Selecting a suitable place to install a new landfill is a hard work. Bauru is a Brazilian municipality where the local landfill currently in use has a life span that is almost over, and the selection of a new area for a future landfill is crucial and urgent. Here we use a geographic information system (GIS) approach to indicate possible suitable areas for installing the landfill. The considered criteria were: river network and the respective buffer zone, relief, urban areas and their respective buffer zone, existence of Areas for Environmental Protection (AEPs), occurrence of wells and their respective buffer zones, existence of airports and their buffer zones, wind direction, and the road network and its respective buffer zone. Due the facts that (1) Bauru has an urban area relatively large in relation to whole municipal area, (2) Bauru has two airports, and (3) this area encompasses parts of three AEPs, the model showed that there are few areas suitable and moderately suitable in Bauru, and the greater part of the municipality is unsuitable to install a new landfill. Due to this important finding reported here, the local policymakers should consider the suitable or even moderately suitable areas for analysis in situ or look for other creative solutions for destination of the solid waste. We highly encourage the use of GIS in studies that seek suitable areas for future landfills, having found that SIG was a tool that allowed fast and precise work and generated an outcome sufficiently clear of interpretation.Implications: Solid waste (SW) management is one of the main environmental concerns nowadays. Landfilling SW is still the main practice to disposal of such material. However, for many regions, suitable places for landfilling are getting scarce. This study proved this situation for a populous place in a southeastern Brazilian region. This study also showed how the decision makers should manage the problem in order to minimize the amount of SW generated and delivered for the landfill. Massive investment in education is a critical issue to reach the proposed aim.

Monitoramento geofísico no aterro controlado do município de Cordeirópolis (SP)

The geophysical methods are widely applied in environmental characterization and monitoring studies. The resistivity method, in particular, has a wide area of applications, being effective in studies of solid waste landfills. The present work propose a geophysical monitoring in the Cordeirópolis city controlled landfill and analyze relationships between variation of electrical resistivity parameter, the residence time of the solid waste in landfill, the rainfall in the region and the organic matter biodegradation processes. The study has no monitoring system to control the products generated in the organic matter decomposition found in waste such as sealing blanket or leachate or gas drains. The results shows that the electrical resistivity parameter was effective in monitoring the landfill contamination plume

Utilização de parâmetros qualitativos dos resíduos aterrados como referência no processo de seleção de valores empregados em modelos matemáticos para a estimativa de geração de metano

The study of mathematical modeling assists in evaluation of the capacity of production and measurement of generation time of biogas in landfills, enabling the implantation of projects of energy generation from methane. Thus, the work aims, by simulating scenarios of potential methane generation in the landfill in Rio Claro, the use of field data from methane flow and waste grounded parameters as references for selecting values of k e L0 used to estimate methane generation model in LandGEM. As a result it was found that compared the characteristics adopted in the four scenarios recommended by the USEPA literature with those found in the landfill of Rio Claro (high amount of organic matter in the waste landed and daily practice of leachate recirculation), the scenario that apparently better represent the rate of methane generation is the scenario 01, with k = 0.7 and L0 = 96. Now, the adjustment of parameters in relation to the data field of methane flow, the value of L0 which best fits the methane generation from the landfill in Rio Claro is 150, while for k the line behavior that best represents the reality are values between 0.7 and 0.3. Regarding the parameters of the waste grounded, between the suggested values of k, 0,3 is most consistent with the intermediate level of biological degradation of the residue grounded, while L0 due to the biodegradability of the waste, a new value between 120 and 150 may be more appropriate for the study

Aplicação de coagulantes naturais no tratamento de lixiviado de resíduos urbanos

With the constant increase in the municipal solid waste (MSW) generation, mainly due to the high consumption patterns, it becomes difficult to manage correctly the solid waste and thus minimize their impact on the environment. One of the most problems of the large amount of waste generated is the liquid originated from physical, chemical and biological decomposition process of organic wastes, with dark color and bad smell, called leachate: it can reach the soil, polluting the groundwater and the surface water. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the process of coagulation/flocculation/sedimentation applied in the treatment of the leachate generated in the not controlled landfill of Presidente Prudente, Sao Paulo... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Estudo geofísico em aterro controlado disposto sobre rochas fraturadas

Geophysical survey is an important method for investigation of contaminated areas used in the characterization of contrasting physical properties in the presence of pollutants. This work applied the geophysical methods of Electrical Resistivity and Self Potential in waste landfill, located in Caçapava do Sul city, RS. The landfill is located over fractured metamorphic rocks. Eight lines of electrical profiling with 288 measures of self potential were done. In addition, 83 measurements of direction and dip of fractures were taken. The application of spontaneous potential method permitted to detect the direction of groundwater flow. The electrical resistivity measurements allowed the identification of low-intensity anomalies associated with the presence of leachate. There is a relationship between anomalous zones and the directions of fractures.

Investigação da condutividade hidráulica dos solos de uma área de aterro de resíduos sólidos urbanos por meio de ensaios de campo e laboratório

A contaminant plume due to leachate infiltration was found in the solid waste landfill from Bauru, SP. The soil hydraulic conductivity (K) is an important parameter to understand the moving of this plume. This paper intends to show representative K values for the soils that occur in the vicinity of this landfill determined by field and laboratory tests. There are four soil types in the area: colluvium, alluvium, sandstone residual soil and the sandstone. Laboratory tests were performed using constant and variable head in rigid and flexible wall permeameters. Slug tests and hydraulic conductivity tests with the Guelph permeameter were also carried out in situ in the area. Representative K values of 3.7x10-7 m/s for the saturated zone and 2.4x10-8 m/s for the unsaturated zone were determined for the residual soil. A K value of 5.3x10-5 m/s was obtained for the colluvium soil. A great variation of K with depth was observed for the alluvium and the assumed average values for the saturated zone were 7.9x10-7 m/s and 1.1x10-4 m/s for the unsaturated surficial layer. An average K value of 3.3x10-8 m/s was determined in laboratory for the sandstone and it was assumed representative for this material.

Diagnóstico e gestão dos resíduos gerados em aterro sanitário

The issue of environmental impacts to human health and the generation and disposal of solid waste has led to a change of paradigms for your face, highlighting the need for sustainable management of municipal solid waste (MSW). In this context, the expansion of landfills in Brazil in recent decades makes it necessary to sustainable management of waste generated by this type of enterprise, since its implementation. The aim of this study was to perform a diagnosis of the generation of waste in a landfill, in the expansion phase, and the alternatives adopted for its management. The qualitative diagnosis was made from observations on site and the wastes were classified and quantified from August 2011 to January 2012. In the diagnosis was considered the reduction, reuse and recycle, in that order. The results of this study showed that the residue of the greatest generation was PEAD geomembranes used in the waterproofing of the landfill, reaching 7 t, followed by PVC pipes, which reached 850 kg, both destined for recycling. The largest volume of wastewater generated corresponded to the leachate, reaching 11,500 m3 , which were sent for treatment

Investigação geofísica em aterro municipal de resíduos sólidos domiciliares, Cordeirópolis, Brasil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)