Application of semi-analytical solution for modeling sorption and pure diffusion assays with leachate

ABSTRACT

The implementation of the National Solid Waste Policy (Law No. 12.305, of August 2, 2010) was a milestone for the final disposal and treatment of solid waste in the country. The contamination due to negligence in the disposal of urban solid waste reaches natural resources and systems vital to human existence. It is, therefore, essential to understand the mechanisms involved in the transport of contaminants and the best geotechnical devices to mitigate and/or remediate impacts. This paper presents the use of mathematical models applied to the results of the experiments carried out by Ritter, in 1998, to determine the transport of the main inorganic ions found in the leachate of Jardim Gramacho landfill (K⁺, Cl^-, Na^+, and NH₄ ⁺), by chemical diffusion and sorption mechanisms. The Jardim Gramacho Urban Waste Landfill was located in Duque de Caxias, state of Rio de Janeiro, and operated for more than 30 years, from 1978 to 2012. In order to understand these transport mechanisms, a semi-analytical solution, denominated Equivalent Contaminated Layer (ECL) proposed by Paz, in 2015, was used to trace, in time and space, the behavior of these contaminants along the soil sample used. The advantage of using this analytical solution is that it meets more accurately the boundary conditions of the analyzed experiments, when compared with the solutions available in the literature. The results show that the effective diffusion coefficients determined by the ECL solution are within the ranges indicated in the literature.

Keywords:
urban solid waste; transport of pollutants; mathematical modeling; diffusion; sorption