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Multiple-tracer tests for contaminant transport process identification in saturated municipal solid waste
N D Woodman1, T C Rees-White1, A M Stringfellow1
1School of Civil Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.
Waste Management (New York, N.Y.)
|January 14, 2015
Summary
This study investigated contaminant transport in landfills using tracers. Results show lithium may not be a conservative tracer and dual porosity models best fit landfill waste transport.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Engineering
- Geochemistry
- Waste Management
Background:
- Understanding contaminant transport in landfills is crucial for predicting long-term aftercare periods.
- Current models require refinement to accurately simulate solute movement within waste.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify dominant contaminant transport mechanisms in biologically active landfills.
- To evaluate the suitability of different transport models for landfill waste.
Main Methods:
- Performed two column tests simulating vertical flow beneath a leachate table.
- Utilized three tracers: lithium, bromide, and deuterium.
- Compared advection-dispersion (AD), dual porosity (DP), and hybrid AD-DP models.
Main Results:
- Lithium exhibited non-conservative behavior, questioning its use as a landfill tracer.
- The dual porosity (DP) model provided the best fit for the experimental data.
- Tracer breakthrough curves did not align with predictions based on free-water diffusion coefficients, indicating complex solute diffusion.
Conclusions:
- Lithium's non-conservative behavior necessitates re-evaluation of its application in landfill studies.
- Dual porosity models are more appropriate for simulating contaminant transport in landfill waste.
- Solute diffusion mechanisms within landfill waste require further in-depth investigation.
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