Journal Pre-proof

Modeling of the dispersion of pollutants in porous media: Case of a

landfill in Brazil

Jonathan Steven Murcia Fandiño (Conceptualization)

(Methodology) (Software) (Writing - original draft) (Formal analysis),
André Nagalli (Investigation) (Writing - review and editing)
(Visualization), Roberto Carlos Moro Filho (Validation) (Resources)
(Writing - review and editing)

PII: S2213-3437(20)30749-1
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2020.104400
Reference: JECE 104400

To appear in: Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering

Received Date: 30 January 2020

Revised Date: 17 August 2020
Accepted Date: 18 August 2020

Please cite this article as: { doi: https://doi.org/

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© 2020 Published by Elsevier.

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MODELING OF THE DISPERSION OF POLLUTANTS IN POROUS MEDIA: CASE

OF A LANDFILL IN BRAZIL

Jonathan Steven Murcia Fandiño1, André Nagalli 2, Roberto Carlos Moro Filho2

1
Postgraduate Program in Environmental Science and Technology, Federal University of
Technology – Paraná, fandino@alunos.utfpr.edu.br, 81280-340 Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
(corresponding author)

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2
Department of Civil Construction, Federal University of Technology – Paraná,
nagalli@utfpr.edu.br, 81280-340 Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil

Graphical abstract
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Highlights

 Dispersion of leachate from urban solid waste through saturated soil.

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 Pollutants calculated over different time periods from a landfill considering a

transient, saturated-flow through a porous medium.
 Verifying the potential of a landfill to contaminate the soil and groundwater through
numerical simulation.
 The landfill studied represents a potential risk of contamination of the main South
American aquifer, the Guarani aquifer.

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ABSTRACT -p
Municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal systems are still a sanitary and environmental
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problem. The high concentration of toxic substances existing in liquids arising from the

decomposition of waste, present a risk to human health and the environment. It is necessary to
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establish mechanisms to predict leachate dispersion in order to determine possible scenarios

and control systems. This work investigates the dispersion of leachate from urban solid waste
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through saturated soil. The municipal landfill of Jacarezinho in Brazil is the focus of the

study. The conceptual model was based on existing data from geology, hydrology,
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hydrogeology and leachate characterization. The codes MODFLOW and MT3DMS were used
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and the dispersion of chromium, copper, lead and zinc was simulated. Pollutant mass

concentration fields were calculated in 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 years. The results indicated that the

pollutants could reach the Ouro Grande River, in a period of 5 years and the tributary in a

period of 1 year of the initial generation of leachate. For the final period of the simulation, the

tributary of the Ouro Grande River received copper and lead concentrations that exceeded the

maximum values allowed in Brazilian legislation for the watercourse quality standard. It was
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concluded that the Jacarezinho landfill has the potential to pollute the surrounding soil and

groundwater.

Keywords: pollution, groundwater, pollutant transport, numerical simulation.

Nomenclature

K 𝑥𝑥 , K 𝑦𝑦 , K 𝑧𝑧 Hydraulic conductivity along the x, y and z coordinate axes, L T−1

𝑆𝑆 Specific storage of the porous material, L−1;

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𝑋𝑖,𝑗 Distance along the respective Cartesian coordinate axis, L

𝐷𝑖𝑗 Hydrodynamic dispersion coefficient tensor, L2T−1

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𝑣𝑖 Seepage or linear pore water velocity, LT−1

𝑞𝑠 -p
Volumetric flow rate per unit volume of aquifer representing fluid

sources (positive) and sinks (negative), T−1

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𝐶𝑠𝑘 Concentration of the source or sink flux for species k, ML−3

∑ 𝑅𝑛 Chemical reaction term, ML−3T−1

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Qi Flow rate in the cell, L3T−1

SS Volume of water that can be injected per unit volume of aquifer material per
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unit change in head, L−1

ΔV Volume of the cell, L3

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Δh Change in head over a time interval of length, ΔT

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Greek characters

θ Porosity of the subsurface medium, dimensionless

Subscripts
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h Pontentiometric head, L

t Time, T

W Volumetric flux per unit volume representing sources and/or sinks of

water, T−1

C Dissolved concentration of species k, ML−3

1 INTRODUCTION

Population growth is correlated with increased solid waste generation, making it a

considerable problem for the territorial and environmental planning for cities. Information

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from 2016 showed that solid waste generation in the world was 2 billion tons and a generation

of 3.4 billion tons per year is projected for 2050 [1]. In the year 2016 there was 2 billion tons

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of solid waste generation in the world and 3.4 billion tons per year is projected for 2050 [1].

Currently, about 37% of these solid wastes are disposed of in landfills [1], proving to be the
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technique most used for the final disposal of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) [2].
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Landfilling is considered a technique that maintains the right conditions and methods

to contain waste, minimizing environmental impacts [3,4]. However, this technique does not
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eliminate pollutants from solid waste disposal and its processes produce gases and liquids

(leachate) that need to be effectively treated to avoid environmental contamination [5–8].

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MSW leachate is the result of different liquids generated by the decomposition and

accumulation of solid waste and infiltration of rainwater. These contain a mixture of toxic
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substances from different sources considered dangerous [2,8–12] that can impact the soil

when it receives large amounts of potentially polluting waste [5]. As an example, the metals
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aluminum, nickel, cadmium, lead, chromium, copper, zinc, manganese and iron [13]. Another

problem of soil contamination is the impossibility of knowing the magnitude of the impact,

due to the alteration of the chemical characteristics of the groundwater, caused by the contact

of the leached infiltrate through the soil [9,11,13–21].

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The dispersion of pollutants through the soil is generally described by means of

transport mechanisms such as advection, dispersion and hydrodynamic parameters [22,23].

These mechanisms are considered by numerical models, which can determine the travel time

between the source of contaminants and the environmental resources to be protected,

becoming a useful tool for environmental protection [24,25], being reliable, practical and

necessary to solve this kind of problem [26,27]. Thus, it becomes common practice in

decision making [25,27] and planning corrective strategies [28].

Currently, there are several studies in the field of modeling the transport of pollutants

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in groundwater that are developed by computational tools [17,24]. MODFLOW is the most

commonly used groundwater modeling code due to its ability to simulate complex

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groundwater flows in three dimensions [29]. The development of the groundwater flow

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equation with the finite difference equation is based on the continuity equation: "the sum of

all inputs and outputs in the cell must equal the change in storage within the cell" [29]. On the
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other hand, the MT3DMS code is coupled with MODFLOW enabling the three-dimensional

numerical simulation of solute transport in porous media [30,31].

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This research presents the dispersion of leachate through the soil generated by the

Municipal Solid Waste Landfill (MSWLF) of the city of Jacarezinho (PR) in Brazil, in order
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to determine its impact on different time scenarios. The computational numerical simulations

were performed using the codes MODFLOW [29] and MT3DMS [32]. The numerical
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simulation considered a period of fifty (50) years, analyzing the dispersion of the chemical

elements chromium, copper, lead and zinc from the landfill leachate.
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2 DESCRIPTION AND MODELING

Jacarezinho is a city located in the south region of Brazil. As of 2018, it has an

estimated total population of 39,435. Jacarezinho has an area of 602.5 km². Located at 445

meters of altitude, the following geographical coordinates are located: Latitude: 23°9'42''

South, Longitude: 49°58'11'' West. It is positioned at coordinates 23°07'58.95" at 23°

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08'08.56" south latitude and 49°55'37.02" at 49°55'20.90" west longitude. It is considered a

controlled landfill by the state environmental agency [33]. At 933 m on the west side of the

operating area is the Ouro Grande River, a tributary of the Paranapanema River.

The method to analyze the dispersion of pollutants caused by leachate from the

Jacarezinho MSWLF was developed in four steps. The first established the compilation of

topographic, hydrological, geological and hydrogeological data, as well as data from the area

under study. In the second stage, the numerical model was developed through the software

MODFLOW and MT3DMS and their ModelMuse and Model Viewer viewers. In the third

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stage, it was established model adjustments and validation. In the last stage, the simulation

was performed, establishing the impact of dispersion and elaborating the report and critical

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analysis of the modeling results.

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The QGIS software was employed using the EPSG 31982 reference system (SIRGAS

2000 /UTM zone 22S). The “Google Satellite” maps were used through the
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QuickMapServices complement to define the coordinates and digitize the local model. The

study area has dimensions of 2,967 m in length and 1,808 m in width. The landfill leachate
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treatment pond and the Ouro Grande River were digitized. Figure. 1 exhibits that the contours

were extracted from [34] using DEM (digital elevation model) file in Advanced Spaceborne
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Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer - ASTER GDEM and defined every 10 m.
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Figure. 1. Digitization of the study area in QGIS
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Note. The red rectangle was defined as the study area. The maroon area is the landfill. The orange area is the
secondary biological treatment system. The white point is the centroid of the model.
Precipitation data was obtained from the HIDROWEB system, created by the National
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Water Agency - ANA, which had a meteorological station located 5.5 km from the
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Jacarezinho municipal landfill. The station's historical data includes hydrological information

from 1941 to 2000 and was considered adequate and sufficient for analysis. The average
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precipitation was calculated at 1,447.4 mm. year−1, being the input value in the numerical

model.
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For the evapotranspiration (ETP), the information was extracted from the EMBRAPA

/ INMET climate database, according to Nagalli [35]. Historical data was obtained between
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1961 and 1990, yielding an annual average of 960 mm, value utilized in the numerical

simulations.

The software utilized in the computational numerical simulations, solves the

transport of chemical species through the groundwater systems. The model considers a

saturated soil, taking into account the most unfavorable condition of pollutant flow and, thus,

in favor of safety.
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The soil stratification profile was established according to soil survey bulletins in

Annex-A of the Nagalli research [35]. However, only data up to 6 meters deep are available

and soil layers have generally been described as sandy clay.

For the determination of volumetric flow or landfill leachate, the Swiss method [36]

was used, which considers precipitation input, landfill area, and waste compaction. The

average landfill leachate flow rate adopted in the numerical simulations was 0.84 L. s−1.

Data related to the chemical characteristics of the leachate was also obtained from the

Nagallli [35], which was obtained through leachate samples from Jacarezinho's municipal

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landfill. The parameters selected for the numerical model were the heavy metals: chromium,

copper, lead, and zinc. The metal concentration values are based on the chemical

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characterization of the two-point leachate: untreated leachate (crude leachate) and leachate

after secondary biological treatment (Table 2). -p

The mass concentrations adopted in the simulations are presented in Table 2. Pollutant
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emissions were considered as the area of 45,222 m2 used in the ground disposal of MSW, to

which the “Gross leachate” values were attributed and the area of 2,063 m2 related to the
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secondary biological treatment system, to which “Effluent treatment system” concentrations

were assigned.
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2.1 Mathematical model

The three-dimensional movement of ground water of constant density through porous

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medium may be described by the partial-differential equation:

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𝝏 𝝏𝒉 𝝏 𝝏𝒉 𝝏 𝝏𝒉 𝝏𝒉
(𝐊 𝒙𝒙 ) + (𝐊 𝒚𝒚 ) + (𝐊 𝒛𝒛 ) + 𝐖 = 𝑺𝑺 (1)
𝝏𝒙 𝝏𝒙 𝝏𝒚 𝝏𝒚 𝝏𝒛 𝝏𝒛 𝝏𝒕

This equation represents a transient, saturated-flow through a porous medium. It is the

fundamental equation in groundwater flow, but to arrive at this point requires considerable
simplification. Some of the main assumptions are: (1) the material is incompressible, no
change in matrix due to changes in pressure; (2) The water is of constant density; (3) Any
 9

external loads on the aquifer (e.g., overburden, atmospheric pressure) are constant, (4) The
groundwater is flowing slowly, where the Reynolds number is less than unity; (5)
Homogenous and isotropic porous media.

The partial differential equation that describes the transport of chemical species in

three-dimensional transient groundwater flow systems can be written as follows:

𝝏(𝜽𝑪) 𝝏 𝝏𝑪 𝝏
= (𝜽𝑫𝒊𝒋 )− (𝜽𝒗𝒊 𝑪) + 𝒒𝒔 𝑪𝒌𝒔 + ∑ 𝑹𝒏 (2)
𝝏𝒕 𝝏𝑿𝒊 𝝏𝑿𝒋 𝝏𝑿𝒊

The boundary conditions adopted in all simulations were the prescribed hydraulic head

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value at the surface and at the borders. For the transport of chemical species, a constant

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concentration of chemical species was adopted in the generating sources (landfill and

secondary treatment pond). Transient numerical modeling of the transport of chemical species

was developed.
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2.2 Numerical model

The numerical model was simulated with the code MODFLOW-NWT/2005 [29] that
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solves the flow equations, and code MT3DMS [32] that solves the chemical species transport

equations.
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The development of the groundwater flow equation with the finite difference equation

is based on the continuity equation: "the sum of all inputs and outputs in the cell must be
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equal to the change in storage within the cell". Considering that the density of water in the soil

is constant, the continuity equation is expressed as follows for each cell:

𝚫𝒉
∑ 𝑸𝒊 = 𝐒𝐒 𝚫𝑽 (3)
𝚫𝒕
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The upper part of Figure. 2 presents the x-y plane of the computational mesh adopted

in numerical simulations. In the x-y plane, the mesh was defined considering orthogonal

elements with Δx and Δy equal to 20 meters and a finer grid, Δx, and Δy equal to 10 meters,

in the region near the landfill. The lower part of Figure. 2, shows the vertical spatial

discretization in z, composed of three regions. The first region, from the surface up to 10 m

deep, the second region, in the range 10 m to 130 m and the third region, from 130 m to 370

m. Table 1 presents the different refinement levels adopted in each region (Δz). The thickness

of the first region was defined according to the study presented by Nagalli [35], and the

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thickness of the two other regions were theoretically defined. The refinement was higher in

the nearest surface layers, a region where the highest concentration gradients occur and,

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therefore, the greater dispersion of pollutants.

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𝑃2𝑆
𝑃2 {
𝑃2𝑃
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𝑃1𝑆
𝑃1 {
𝑃1𝑃
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Figure. 2. The computational mesh of the model

Note. At the top is the x-y plane of the computational mesh. At the bottom is the x-y plane of the computational
mesh. The figure shows two observation points, P1 and P2, where the subscribed numbers indicate depth.

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The values adopted for the hydraulic conductivity for the surface layer were the same

presented for Nagalli [35]. The values adopted for hydraulic conductivity are presented in

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table 1. The layers, in a greater depth, have hydraulic conductivity values lower than that
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close to the surface. This happens due to greater soil compaction and increased bulk density

[37]. The hydraulic conductivity was considered isotropic (Kx = Ky = Kz). The values of
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conductivity were adopted in the range between 5.5 x 106 and 5.0 x 1010 m. s−1, according to
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the depth in the soil.

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Table 1. Vertical refinement of the computational mesh and hydraulic conductivity adopted in the layers

Depth from the surface Refinement Hydraulic conductivity

Region Aquifer Type
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(m) (m) (m. s−1)

2 5.5 x 106
Superficial Not confined 10
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8 5.5 x 106

40 5 x 107

Average Not confined 130 40 5 x 107

40 5 x 108

40 5 x 109
Bottom Confined 370
100 5 x 109
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100 5 x 1010

In Table 2, the input parameters of the numerical model are presented. Most data

correspond to conceptual model information. Values of soil characteristics such as hydraulic

conductivity, soil stratification and permeability and pollutant concentration were obtained

from Nagalli [35]. Hydrological and topographic information was obtained from government

agencies.

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Table 2. Operating conditions

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Data Information Source Input Value

Local model (Sirgas Landfill geometry and coordinates,

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2000, UTM zone 22s - secondary treatment pond, Ouro QGIS - QuickMapsServices- -

EPSG 31982) Grande River and local model Google Satellite

Relief (m.s.n.m) DEM, coordinates US Geological Survey, [34] -

Constant head condition

Water table level - -
- CHD
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National Water Resources

Information System - SNIRH. 1,447.4

Recharge - RCH Average Annual Precipitation
National Water Agency – mm. year−1

ANA.

Flow of the Ouro

The flow of the Ouro Grande River Águasparaná [38] 277,97 L. s−1
Grande River

The flow of the landfill and

Flow of the landfill 0.84 L. s−1
secondary treatment Rational method

Hydraulic conductivity -
Hydraulic conductivity Nagalli [35] (Table 1)
K (m. s−1)

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Evapotranspiration 960
Evapotranspiration
(m. s−1) EMBRAPA/INMET mm. year−1

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Soil Stratification Soil Stratification Nagalli [35] (Table 1)

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Chromium (mg. L−1) Chromium Concentration Nagalli [35]
ET < 0.05
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RL 0.65
Copper (mg. L−1) Copper Concentration Nagalli [35]
ET < 0.03
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RL 0.40
Lead (mg. L−1) Lead Concentration Nagalli [35]
ET 0.20

RL 2.80
Zinc (mg. L−1)
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Zinc Concentration Nagalli [35]

ET 0.05

Note. RL is the concentration of raw leachate and ET is the concentration of effluent treatment system.
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Contaminant flow simulations were conservative. In other words, the attenuation

conditions of the contamination flow in the porous environment due to sorption, ion exchange

and chemical reaction processes were not considered.

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Temporal discretization was established for a period of 50 years, analyzing the results

for times 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 years. The time step adopted in the numerical simulations was

one day (Δt).

To define the reference points of the pollutant concentration values in the different

time periods, the Transport Observation Package - TOB, included in the MT3DMS software,

was used. Observation point one, P1, is the source of the tributary that reaches the Ouro

Grande River, 617 m from the embankment centroid, defined by coordinates 23° 07' 21.89

south latitude and 49° 55' 08.37 west longitude. The observation point two, P2, was defined at

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the point of contact of the tributary with the Rio Grande, 1,089 m from the embankment

centroid, defined by coordinates 23° 07' 14.46 south latitude and 49° 54' 53.83 west longitude.

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Figure 2 presents the two observation points. Each observation point was observed at two

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depths. Where, P1S and P2S represent the points 1 and 2, respectively, at the surface layer,

whereas, P1P and P2P, represent the points 1 and 2, respectively, two meters below the
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surface.

The actual solution is unknown, however, is necessary to specific when the loop of
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iterations should be interrupted. The variation in the values of the hydraulic head should be

less than those calculated in a previous iteration according to thee defined convergence
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criterion. After the iteration is performed, the values of the hydraulic head at each node of the

mesh are compared with the values calculated in the previous iteration and verified with the
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convergence criterion [29]. For this case a convergence criterion of 0.0001 m was used. for

years 1, 5 and 10, a maximum of 5,000 iterations were defined and for the years 25 and 50,
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10,000 iterations were defined.

2.3 Validation Study

For the validation case, a one-dimensional transport problem was used in a uniform

infiltration field with advection and dispersion, the case was studied by Van Genuchten and

Alves [39]. The governing equation is:

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𝝏𝒄 𝝏𝟐 𝒄 𝝏𝒄 (4)
𝐑 =𝑫 𝟐−𝐯
𝝏𝒕 𝝏𝒙 𝝏𝒙

Where R is the retardation factor.

The problem considered in the validation involves the following boundary conditions

and initial conditions described in formula 5:

𝑪(𝒙, 𝟎) = 𝑪𝒊
𝑪 𝟎 < 𝑻 < 𝑻𝟎
𝑪(𝟎, 𝑻) = { 𝒐
𝟎 𝑻 > 𝑻𝟎 (5)

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𝝏𝑪
(∞, 𝑻) = 𝟎
𝝏𝒙

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The analytical solution was developed by Lapidus, L., and Amundson, N. R. [40] and
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is described below:
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𝑪𝒊 + (𝑪𝟎 − 𝑪𝒊 )𝑨(𝒙, 𝑻) 𝟎 < 𝑻 < 𝑻𝟎
𝑪(𝒙, 𝑻) = { (6)
𝑪𝒊 + (𝑪𝟎 − 𝑪𝒊 )𝑨(𝒙, 𝑻) − 𝑪𝟎 𝑨(𝒙, 𝑻 − 𝑻𝟎 ) 𝑻 > 𝑻𝟎
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Where
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𝟏 𝐑𝐱 − 𝐯𝐓 𝟏 𝐑𝐱 − 𝐯𝐓
𝑨(𝒙, 𝑻) = 𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐜 [ 𝟏 ] + 𝐞𝐱𝐩(𝐯𝐱/𝐃) 𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐜 [ 𝟏 ]
(7)
𝟐 𝟐(𝐃𝐑𝐓) ⁄𝟐 𝟐 𝟐(𝐃𝐑𝐓) ⁄𝟐
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A numerical model consisting of 101 columns, 1 row, and 1 layer is used to solve the
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problem for comparison with the analytical solution for the same initial and boundary

conditions presented by Van Genuchten and Alves [39]. Figure. 3 indicates the comparison of

the analytical solution with the numerical solution. The largest difference between the

analytical solution and the numerical solution was approximately 4.8%.

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1
0.9
0.8
Concentration (mg.L−1 )

0.7
0.6
0.5
Analytical solution
0.4 Numercial model
0.3
0.2
0.1

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0
0 200 400 600 800 1000
Distance (m)

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Figure. 3. Comparison between the analytical solution and numerical solution
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3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
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Figure. 4 presents the result of the simulation of the hydraulic head field for a period of

50 years. It is observed that the model considers a medium completely saturated. According to

the water mass balance, the discrepancy between the inflow and the outflow is less than
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0.001%. The hydraulic head on the P1S is 456 m and on the P2S point is 417 m. It is inferred

that the direction of the groundwater flow is from the direction of the highest hydraulic head
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to that of the lowest hydraulic head, in this case towards the Ouro Grande River, as shown by
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the arrows in the figure.

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P1S P2S
P1P P2P

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Figure. 4. 3D simulation result showing hydraulic head field
Note: The units of the hydraulic load are represented in meters (m).

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Chromium, lead, copper, and zinc dispersion results were obtained in the time periods of 1, 5,
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10, 25 and 50 years. Figure. 5 presents the results of the dispersion of chromium in the

horizontal plane. The figures present only concentrations higher than 1x10−5 mg. L−1,
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concentrations lower than 1x10−5 mg.L−1 were not considered due to the low

representativeness of the data in the figures. The lead, copper and zinc contaminants were also
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represented in the same way.

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1 year 5 years

P1S= 7.05x1010 mg. L−1 P1P= 5.98x1010 mg. L−1 P1S= 9.12x103 mg. L−1 P1P= 1.02x102 mg. L−1
P2S= 0.0 mg. L−1 P2P= 0.0 mg. L−1 P2S= 1.42x1018 mg. L−1 P2P= 8.62x1019 mg. L−1

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10 years 25 years

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P1S= 2.49x102 mg. L−1 P1P= 2.82x102 mg. L−1 P1S= 2.65x102 mg. L−1 P1P= 3.01x102 mg. L−1
P2S= 1.62x108 mg. L−1 P2P= 5.87x108 mg. L−1 P2S= 1.10x105 mg. L−1 P2P= 3.40x105 mg. L−1
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50 years
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P1S= 2.74x102 mg. L−1 P1P= 3.11x102 mg. L−1

P2S= 1.24x105 mg. L−1 P2P= 3.83x105 mg. L−1

Figure. 5. Chromium dispersion for Simulation Time Periods

Figure. 6 demonstrates the concentrations of all pollutants for observation point P1 at

different time periods. It can be observed that for year one of the simulation, all pollutants
 19

start with concentrations close to zero. All pollutants show a considerable increase in

concentration for year 5 of the simulation, with zinc being the pollutant with the highest

concentration increase in reference to year one. The largest increase in concentration between

time periods occurs between the year five and the year 10 of the simulation, with zinc being

the pollutant with the highest increase for this time period. There is a linear increase of all

pollutants between the year 10 and the year 50 of the simulation. Zinc is the pollutant with the

highest concentration increase in all time periods, being 430% higher than the copper and

chromium concentrations for P1P in the 50-year period and 694% higher than lead for the

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same time period. Finally, for the final simulation period, pollutants achieve a maximum

percentage of 5% of the initial value of the generating source.

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0.160

0.140
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0.120
Cr P1S
Concentration (mg/L)

0.100 Cr P1P
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Pb P1S
0.080 Pb P1P
Cu P1S
0.060 Cu P1P
Zn P1S
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Zn P1P
0.040

0.020
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0.000
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49
Simulation Time (years)
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Figure. 6. Pollutant concentration at observation point P1

Figure. 7 exhibits the concentrations of all pollutants for observation point P2 at

different time periods. For year 1, it does not show the presence of pollutants. The

concentrations of chromium, lead, copper and zinc begin to be detected from year 5, values on

the order of 1x10−19 mg. L−1. For year 10, a large increase in the concentrations, values on the
 20

order of 1x10−8 mg. L−1 was evidenced. For the twenty-fifth year, the concentration of

pollutants increases by considerable values of 10−5 mg. L−1, with zinc being the pollutant with

the highest concentration in both P2S and P2P. In the period between 25 and 50 years, the

pollutants continue to increase their concentration, but the rates of increase in concentrations

are lower than those found in the period between 10 and 25 years, indicating that the

concentrations are stabilizing. Zinc is the pollutant with the biggest increases in

concentrations in all time periods, being 430% higher than the copper and chromium

concentration for P2P in the 50-year period and 700% higher than lead for the same time

of
period. In the last time step, year 50, pollutants achieve a maximum percentage of 0.006% of

the initial value of the generating source concentration.

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0.00018

0.00016
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0.00014

Cr P2S
Concentration (mg/L)

0.00012
Cr P2P
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0.0001 Pb P2S
Pb P2P
0.00008
Cu P2S
0.00006 Cu P2P
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0.00004 Zn P2S
Zn P2P
0.00002

0
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1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49
Simulation Time (years)
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Figure. 7. Pollutant concentration at observation point P2

At the point P1, the concentration of pollutants starts to be higher at P1P from year 5.

At the point P2, the concentration starts to be higher at P2P from year 10, due to the advection

and dispersion.
 21

At the point P1, the concentration is 12% higher at P1P than at P1S, disregarding year

1, where advection and dispersion processes have not yet fully acted on the mass transport. In

the case of P2, starting from year 10, the concentration is 68% higher at P2P than at P2S due

to the transport processes already acting on the numerical model.

Finally, it is determined that for the final simulation period, year 50, the concentrations

of all pollutants were higher in the second layer for the two established observation points (P1

and P2), remembering that this layer is between 2 and 10 meters of depth.

Table 3 presents the standards for the discharge of liquid effluents and the water

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quality for watercourses, according to CONAMA Resolution 430 of May 13, 2011, and

CONAMA Resolution 357 of March 17, 2005. In Table 3, water potability standards are also

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presented, according to Ministry of Health Ordinance 2914 of December 12, 2011, regarding

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the results of the concentrations at the different observation points for the final simulation

period.
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Table 3. Comparison of maximum values of effluent discharge standards

Maximum reference values Concentrations for simulation year 50

Conama Conama Ordinance

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Resolution Resolution MS
357/05 430/11 (Effluent 2.914/11 P1S P1S P2S P2S
(River Release (Potability
class 2) Standard) standard)
Lead (mg. L−1) 0.010 0.5 0.01 0.017 0.020 7.7x10−6 2.4 x10−5
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Chromium 0.050 0.1 0.05 0.027 0.031 1.2 x10−5 3.8 x10−5
(mg. L−1)
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Copper (mg. L−1) 0.009 1 2 0.028 0.032 1.3 x10−5 3.9 x10−5

Zinc (mg. L−1) 0.180 5 5 0.120 0.136 5.4 x10−5 1.7 x10−4

According to the data presented in Table 3, the maximum concentrations calculated in

the last time step, year 50, at the points P1S and P1P, are below the limit values established

by CONAMA resolution 430/11. In the case of CONAMA resolution 357/05, lead and copper
 22

concentrations can exceed their maximum values. Copper begins to exceed the values from

year 5 and lead from year 10. According to Ordinance MS 2,914/11, as of year 10, the lead

can exceed the maximum value, which represents a health risk. According to these results,

groundwater for P1 cannot be considered a source for human consumption, at least to a depth

of 10 meters.

The results of the numerical simulation were compared with the results carried out in

the Nagalli et al. study [41], which evaluated the quality of groundwater in a well for human

consumption at the Jacarezinho landfill. The results of the numerical simulation showed that

of
the zinc obtained concentration values close to the values of the Nagalli et al. [41]. On the

other hand, the concentrations of lead, copper and chromium were lower than the

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concentration values obtained by the Nagalli et al. Differences in values are attributed to the

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uncertainty of the well start-up date and the potential for contamination induction caused by

the well pumping system, which may induce preferential contaminant flow.
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Based on the results of the numerical simulation, the annual pollutant load of

chromium in P2P is 0.001 kg, lead is 0.0006 kg, copper is 0.001 kg and zinc is 0.004 kg. It is
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possible to demonstrate that the mass flow of zinc will be greater than that of the other

contaminants. In contrast, it must be taken into account that these quantities are very small,
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since it is being described in units of kilograms per year.

Infiltration of toxic elements over long periods of time affects groundwater quality
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[42]. Jacarezinho landfill is located in a very fragile aquifer, as it belongs to the Guarani

Aquifer System recharge [41]. This can cause harmful effects to humans and biota [16].
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According to the Global Harmonized System (GHS), copper is classified as harmful if

ingested with hazard category 4, this means that 2,000 mg. kg−1 body weight is required to

produce acute toxicity. In contrast, lead is in the hazard category because it is toxic to human

reproduction, affects fertility, causing harm to the fetus, breastfeeding children, and there is

no blood concentration that can be considered as non-hazardous. Copper, chromium, lead, and
 23

zinc are classified as short-term (acute) aquatic hazard category 1, which means that it is very

toxic to aquatic organisms at concentrations below 1 mg. L−1 (LC50 96h for fish), with lasting

harmful effects [43]. It should not be forgotten that the characteristics of heavy metals enable

bioaccumulation processes and in some cases biomagnification, even a low concentration can

damage an ecosystem [44]. For copper and zinc no evidence of biomagnification was found

[45].

It was then found that for the case study and according to the simulation results,

currently, the tributary of the Ouro Grande River must have been receiving concentrations of

of
lead, chromium, copper and zinc that represent a risk to the environment. Low concentrations

of pollutants are detrimental to aquatic life such as fish, crustaceans, algae and aquatic plants.

ro
Chromium and lead are potential environmental pollutants, and are found to currently exceed

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the maximum values of the water quality standard. Lead currently also exceeds the maximum

potability standard value for health-hazardous chemicals, as there is a risk that local residents
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may be consuming well water. It is important to note that the current and future trend is that

the amount of MSW disposed in Jacarezinho landfill increases and therefore the concentration
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of heavy metals may also increase in relation to the values that were taken for this simulation,

which aggravates the situation of contamination. The situation of the study area is delicate and
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of extreme environmental and sanitary importance as it is prone to worsen the environmental

impact.
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4 CONCLUSIONS
Jo

The chromium, lead, copper and zinc metals present in the leachate from the MSW

landfill in Jacarezinho were modeled through a conceptual model that took into account the

real parameters of hydrology, geology, topography and hydrogeology. The results of the

computational numerical simulation in the time steps 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 years were obtained

at two observation points, P1 and P2. In the last time step, year 50, the pollutants

concentrations at the Ouro Grande River (P2) were, in average, 0.006% of the initial value,
 24

found in the generating source. It was proven or found that the biggest increase in the

concentration of pollutants occurs between the years 5 and 10 and the smallest increase occurs

between the years 25 and 50. The mass flow of the zinc was 0.004 kg/year, up to seven times

greater than the other pollutants analyzed.

The results obtained through the computational codes, MODFLOW and MT3DMS,

enabled a better understanding of the dispersion of pollutants, demonstrating that the lead

concentration exceeded the limit values established by Conama resolution 357/05 and by MS

Ordinance 2,914/11. In the case of chromium, it exceeded the limit value established by

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Conama resolution 357/05, therefore, it also represents a potential risk to the environment

around the MSW landfill.

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Credit Author Statement
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Jonathan Steven Murcia Fandiño: Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, Writing -
Original Draft, Formal análisis. André Nagalli: Investigation, Writing - Review & Editing,
Visualization Roberto Carlos Moro Filho: Validation, Resources, Writing - Review &
Editing.
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5 FUNDING SOURCES

This work was supported by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível

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Superior (CAPES).
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Declaration of interests

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal
relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
 25

6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior

(CAPES) and the Federal Technological University of Paraná - UTFPR, for providing the

necessary resources for the development of this research.

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re
lP
na
ur
Jo
 26

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