Study of Some Puerto Rican Soils as Natural Sealers or Attenuators Against Groundwater Pollution from Sanitary Landfill Leachates

摘要

Five clayey Puerto Rican soils were packed into columns of PVC pipe and tested for their ability to prevent groundwater pollution from the Mayaguez sanitary landfill. Leachate and groundwater samples collected from column effluents were analyzed for water quality parameters according to the Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater. Soil samples were analyzed using methods developed by the American Society for Testing and Materials or by the U.S. Soil Conservation Service. Results indicated that the leachate characteristics varied widely, even for samples taken at the same site. At the Mayaguez sanitary landfill, the concentration of the different components in the leachate appeared greatly diminished in the groundwater under the landfill, except for the Ni content. The Daguey soil showed excellent retention capacity for all measured ions, except Zn which showed a net release.