Impact of Leachate in the Soil Vellalore, Coimbatore

Abstract

As a consequence of increasing urbanisation and industrialization two major effects have occurred. They are resource exploitation and waste generation. In this view, the present work has been undertaken to study problems of open dumping of MSW at Vellalore disposal site of Coimbatore city. The objectives of the present study are monitor and assess the problems of principle solid waste on land and to investigate the feasibility of energy recover from MSW. Physical and chemical characterization of MSW collected from the disposal site showed that the solid waste has 68.95% of biodegradable fraction with relatively higher percentage of moisture content and 72% of volatile solids contents. Hence, methanation process of MSW can be carried out to recover energy. Leachate characterisation study concludes the that the concentration of Total Organic Carbon, Ammonia nitrogen, volatile solids, pH , electrical conductivity were high in fresh leachate and decreased due to the decomposition of MSW. Soil quality study of Vellalore site showed that the soil texture and colour has been altered to a depth of 60cm.To manage the solid waste problem, high solids anaerobic digestion process was carried out in the laboratory in a batch reactor, which showed that the factor pH was found to be significant in the production of biogas. The concentration of volatile solids, Total carbon, Total nitrogen, due to the decomposition of the reactor contents, which has utilized in the production of gas. During the experimental study a cumulative volume of 3.2 litres of gas was obtained in a period of 120 days from 8 litres volume of the initially loaded MSW.