Chemical time bombs from landfills: Appraisal and modelling

Abstract

AbstractAbout 240 x 106 tonnes of industrial waste, 104 x 106 tonnes of municipal waste and more than 60 x 106 tonnes of sediment sludge are landfilled (65 per cent), incinerated (24 per cent) and partly recycled in Europe annually. About 60000‐120000 landfill sites, occupying 800‐1700 km2, are recorded in the EEC, of which a limited number are in operation. These sites generate 12.5 x 109 m3 of landfill gas annually, of which about 755 x 106 m3 are presently recovered, and 0‐1‐4‐0 x 106 m3 of heavily polluted leachate, which is dispersed to ground and surface waters. the area with polluted groundwater increases annually by 1‐10 per cent (1200‐12000 km2 of contaminated land). Landfill gas contains carcinogenic and pathogenic components and contributes 2 per cent of the total emission of greenhouse gases; locally it is a potential hazard. Incinerators reduce the solid volume to about 30 per cent of the original but cause the atmospheric deposition of acids and dioxins. Emissions of landfill gas, leachate and atmospheric deposition have been recognized as potential chemical time bombs (CTBs). Models are currently available for the estimation of the time at which the effects of these CTBs will become manifest. It is recommended that an inventory of all landfills should be made to assess the potential hazards in detail, to encourage institutions to initiate the clean‐up of contaminated sites and the aftercare of closed sites, and to set up a co‐operative network within the EEC.