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Assessment of Heavy Metals in A Municipal Solid Waste Dumpsite
Assessment of Heavy Metals in A Municipal Solid Waste Dumpsite
Assessment of Heavy Metals in A Municipal Solid Waste Dumpsite
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ABSTRACT
Unorganized dumping of solid waste is predominant in developing countries like India and cause
adverse impacts to the environment. Sources such as electronic goods, electro plating waste, painting
waste, used batteries, etc., when dumped with municipal solid wastes increase the heavy metals in
dumpsites. Similarly solid waste dumping without the separation of hazardous waste can raise toxic
environmental effects. Slow leaching of these heavy metals under acidic environment during the
degradation process leads to leachates with high metal concentrations. Since leachates are one of the
potential sources of ground water pollution, monitoring heavy metal content in dumpsite can facilitate
to recommend suitable remedial measures. Thus the assessment of heavy metal contents in landfill
waste is a pre requisite of landfill mining, especially when the wastes are used as manures.
This paper discusses the trace metal contents in fine fraction of municipal solid waste (MSW) collected
from different depth levels of Perungudi dumping ground (PDG), near Chennai. The leachates were
also collected and analyzed from the same sampling area. Heavy metal concentrations of these
samples were compared with the water extracts prepared from the MSW fine fraction. The
concentrations of As, Hg, Cr, Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni and Zn were estimated and found to be in mg/kg level in
MSW while in µg/L in leachates and water extracts. In certain cases, metal contents are beyond the
limits prescribed for compost by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). However, all values are
within the acceptable limits of United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) standards.
1. INTRODUCTION
India is becoming a dumping ground for electronic waste especially used computers from United States,
Singapore and South Korea which contains hazardous metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury.
Statement from an environmental report reveals that about seventy percent of the heavy metals found in
landfills come from electronic wastes (Toxics Link, 2003). Further, small scale industries located in urban
areas often dispose of their wastes along with municipal solid wastes.
The environmental problem with heavy metals is that they are unaffected during degradation of organic
waste and have toxic effects on living organisms when exceeding a certain concentration. When the
compost from MSW is used as manure some heavy metals are being subject to bioaccumulation and
may cause risk to human health when transferred to the food chain. Exposure of heavy metals may
cause blood and bone disorders, kidney damage and decreased mental capacity and neurological
damage (NIEHS, 2002). Therefore, heavy metal needs serious attention before the application of
compost made from MSW. In certain cases the metal contents exceed the specified limits (Merian,
1991; Cebula et al., 1995). The occurrence of cadmium, cobalt, manganese, nickel, lead and zinc in
MSW compost was reported by Ciba et al. (1999).
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Sustainable Landfill Management
Landfill leachates from unlined landfills pose an important hazard for the environment. Several cases of
ground water pollution from landfill leachates were reported (Arneth et al., 1989). Aurangabadkar et al.
(2001) investigated the impact of MSW dumpsite on ground water quality at Perungudi. The present
study was aimed to assess the heavy metals in MSW fines and landfill leachates at this dumpsite with
the following objectives:
• To evaluate the pollution potential due to heavy metals from Perungudi dumpsite
• To test the suitability of the mined waste to use as compost by comparing its metal contents with
specified standards for compost
• To study the depth wise variation of metal contents in MSW fine fraction
• To determine the trace metal concentration in landfill leachates to evaluate the ground water
pollution potential of these leachates
• To compare the leachability of metals from MSW at different leaching fluids.
2. EXPERIMENTAL
2.1. Site Description
Chennai is one of the four metropolitan cities in India with a population of about five million. The current
solid waste generation from the city is about 3500 t/day. This waste is disposed by open dumping at the
Kodungaiyur and Perungudi. The Perungudi dumping ground is low lying and poorly drained being
occupied by extensive areas of marshy land permanently wet and seasonally inundates. Solid waste
dumping at PDG is in operation since 1987(Aurangabadkar et al., 2001). Total area of this site is about
250 ha in which about 22 ha is used for dumping with a current dumping rate of 1750 t/day. Perungudi
dumping ground lies at 12° 57’ 13.5” North and 80° 14’ 5.8” East.
2.2.2. Leachates
In the boreholes, from which the solid samples were collected, perforated PVC pipes of 10 cm dia. were
inserted and the top ends of the pipes were covered with locking facility for leachate collection. A total of
7 leachate samples were collected for monitoring purpose. These leachates were filtered and preserved
for soluble heavy metal analysis with a drop of conc. nitric acid.
2.3. Extractions
After complete air-drying of MSW, the fine fraction (<2 mm) was separated using a horizontal vibrating
screen. Water extracts, Toxicity characteristics leaching procedure (TCLP) extracts and Acid digests of
the MSW fine fraction for heavy metals analyses were prepared as detailed below.
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Assessment of Heavy Metals in a Municipal Solid Waste Dumpsite
2.4. Instruments
Vario-6 Atomic absorption spectrometer (Analytic Jena, Germany) with D2 background correction lamp
was used for the heavy metal content determination. Acetylene-Air flame was used for higher
concentrations (mg/L) while electro thermal atomisation in graphite furnace with Ar as carrier gas was
employed for lower concentrations (µg/L). Arsenic was determined by hydride generation technique with
NaBH4 as reducing agent. Cold vapour AAS determination of mercury was carried out with MA5840
mercury analyser (Electronic Corporation of India Ltd.).
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Sustainable Landfill Management
S.No Particulars Hg As Cd Ni Pb Cu Cr Zn
6 USEPA Compost 17.0 41.0 39.0 420 300 1500 1200 2800
Standards **
The depth wise variation of heavy metal content of MSW fine fraction is shown in Figure 1. Higher
concentrations of heavy metals observed at the middle layer (1-2 m) may be due the downward
migration of leachates. Further, the low concentrations at the top layer may be attributed to
phytoextraction of metals by natural vegetation. Since the bottom layer (2-3 m) is saturated with landfill
leachates, the lowest concentrations were noticed. Similar trend was noticed for the metals zinc,
chromium, copper, lead and nickel.
350
0-1m 1-2m 2-3m
300
250
200
mg/kg
150
100
50
0
Zn Cr Cu Pb Ni
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Assessment of Heavy Metals in a Municipal Solid Waste Dumpsite
3.2. Leachates
Heavy metals concentration in the leachates collected from the sampling locations were analyzed and
were found to be in microgram levels (Table.2). This may be attributed to the pH, flow rate and
concentration of complexing agents. The pH values of the leachates were in the range of 7.2 to 8.3.
Metal solubility generally decreases with increasing pH (Gould et al., 1989). This is due to the
precipitation of metal ions as insoluble hydroxides at high pH values (7.6-8.3).
S.No. As Cd Cr Cu Hg Ni Pb Zn
1 2.38 8.0 70.72 137 1.7 328 473 80
2 2.74 8.0 125.0 102 1.7 322 606 104
3 2.89 15.0 5.90 42 8.3 277 319 BDL
4 3.45 26.0 60.23 8 1.7 591 466 220
5 0.17 16.0 200.0 108 1.7 392 396 221
6 1.07 17.0 61.35 96 6.7 255 268 35
7 6.86 14.0 79.52 23 1.7 285 299 27
Typical* - 1 50 20 to - 100 to 100 to 500 to
values to100 to1000 1000 1000 1000 30000
* Jones-Lee and Lee, 1993. All values are in µg/L & average of 5 determinations
For all metals, the lowest solubility was found in water extracts. Trace metal concentrations in landfill
leachates were well within the Indian standards for disposal of treated leachates (Public sewer). Similar
comparison of TCLP results for Pb and Cd for which the TCLP regulatory limits are available with
USEPA, indicated that they were well within specified limits.
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Sustainable Landfill Management
10000
TCLP
m icro g ra m p e r L itre
1000 Water
Extracts
100 Leachates
10
1
Cd Cu Ni Pb Zn
4. CONCLUSION
Arsenic, cadmium and mercury contents in MSW fine fraction of PDG were less than 2 mg/kg. The
descending order of heavy metal contents is zinc, chromium, copper, lead, nickel, cadmium, arsenic and
mercury. Comparison of heavy metal contents with Indian standards for compost shows that mercury,
chromium and lead exceed the limits. When compared with USEPA standards, all are within the
standard limits. The middle layer of the waste deposit shows higher metal contents than the top and
bottom layers.
After determining the geotechnical suitability and heavy metal content of the finished product, the mined
waste can be used as compost for non-edible crops or as cover material.
Landfill leachates are less polluted with heavy metals due to high pH values. TCLP and water extract
analyses of the MSW fine fraction indicates the lower pollution potential.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We sincerely thank the Swedish International Developmental Agency (SIDA) and Asian Institute of
Technology (AIT), Bangkok for the financial support rendered to carry out the research work. We also
thank the Corporation of Chennai for the permission to carryout the studies at the dumpsites and Shri.
N.Narayamoorthy, Junior Technical Assistant (SIDA), for his assistance in preparation of this paper.
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Assessment of Heavy Metals in a Municipal Solid Waste Dumpsite
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