Municipal Solid Waste Dump Research Articles

How much spatial and temporal variation in groundwater microbiology can occur following open dumping of municipal solid waste?

Abstract The effects of open dumping of municipal solid waste on local groundwater microbiology were assessed in Ranchi, India. Both the spatial and temporal variations of groundwater microbiology were studied. Groundwater was analyzed to determine heterotrophic plate count (HPC), total coliforms (TC) and faecal coliforms (FC). Highest HPC was 4.5 × 104 CFU/mL and the highest total coliform count was 3.7 × 104 CFU/mL. Faecal coliforms were detected in most of the groundwater samples. The highest faecal coliform count of 2.1 × 104 CFU/mL was from a hand pump located adjacent to the dumping site. Spatial variations revealed dispersion of bacterial contamination up to 5 km from the periphery of the municipal solid waste dump. The level of bacterial contamination decreased with an increase in distance from the municipal solid waste dump. The maximum bacterial count was detected in the monsoon whereas the lowest count was found in summer. Molecular characterization of morphologically similar faecal coliform colonies indicated the presence of Klebsiella pneumoniae (Klebsiella ssnkbit, KU647674) in one of the groundwater samples that showed maximum faecal coliform count. Results of this study indicated that groundwater in the area is highly contaminated with a bacterial load which can be a major health risk.

Design and development of e-smart robotics-based underground solid waste storage and transportation system

There are potential risks to the environment and health due to improper collection and transportation of municipal solid waste in open containers. Municipal solid waste is the most crucial factor in contemporary urban development due to polluted environmental scenarios and causing the spread of diseases anomalously despite high transportation and storage costs. A sensor-based e-smart device with components has been developed to store and transport solid waste with sensor-based technology containing filling, picking, dropping, and waste weight. Multi-compartment bins can be used to store and transport the solid waste with GPS module tracking for conversion into energy to the plant. The underground container contains solid waste ranges from 4.5 cum to 8 cum with a weight capacity of 1650 kgs–7200 kgs. E-smart features like filling alarm, route tracking, and volume can be controlled with ultrasonic sensor transponder system (EPC Class-I, Generic-2) more efficiently than conventional systems at low cost. This system will fill the gap with more solid waste volume within closed containers without any atmospheric influence, civilian health, smell, odor, and other harmful gases produced by solid waste. E-smart underground solid waste bins can help significantly minimize open dumping of municipal solid waste and save operation, fuel, transportation cost, and traveling time up to 40%.

Satellite based bio-thermal impact insights into MSW open dumps: a pair-unified proximity scenario

Emissions from open Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) dumps are a serious threat to ecology in their close vicinity. Proper assessment of associated damage and its radial extent of influence constitute basic information to plan a sustainable remedial approach. This study emphasizes on twin dumping facilities as unified source of pollution in a geotechnical environment, and is limited to the use of freely available medium resolution satellite imagery to provide alternative of expensive ground measurements for obtaining base-level monitoring data to aid decision support systems in developing world. Proximity statistics have been applied to products derived from Landsat-8, with range and severity of hazardous influence being computed using curve flattening analysis of distance dependent profiles of various products. The combined average bio-influence and thermal-influence ranges of pair-unified dumps are 705 m and 1035 m, respectively. The developed methodology leads towards deeper understanding of seasonal changes in the influence zones, correlation amongst the two types of influence zones and relationship between severity and range of influence. The proximity statistical sequence has rendered the analysis sensitive enough to distinguish land covers having potential to cause misinterpretation of results by introducing effects in the bio-thermal continuum, similar to those of MSW emissions.

Factors Affecting the Intensity of Color Released In Water Extract by Soil-Like Material Obtained From Mining of Old MSW Dumps

This paper presents the analysis of release of dark-colored leachate from soil-like material (SLM) mined from three old municipal solid waste dump sites of before its reuse as earth-fill. If SLM is to be re-used in earth-fill, the release of dark-colored leachate can cause coloration of the surrounding water bodies. Laboratory studies (in terms of single batch leaching) were undertaken to quantify the release of color and identify the source/cause of the phenomenon. Influence of repeated washing, heating at various temperature, and aeration of SLM on the intensity of release of color was identified. Correlation of color with total dissolved solids and volatile dissolved solids was also established. The intensity of color of water extract from SLM in platinum cobalt unit (PCU) was found to in the range of 288-712, 465-485 and 740-925 from Delhi, Kadapa and Hyderabad dumpsites respectively. In contrast, the intensity of color in water released from local soils was found to be 25-30 PCU. Organic content present in SLM was identified as the primary cause for the release of color. Results showed that large quantity of water (70-120 ml per gram of SLM) was required to cause significant reduction in the intensity of color. Heating of SLM to 500°C was observed to reduce the color very effectively but short-term aeration of SLM did not reduce color. Good correlation of volatile dissolved solids with color was observed which further confirmed the organic content as the main reason for the release of dark-colored leachate from SLM.

Application of geostatistical models to identify spatial distribution of groundwater quality parameters.

Groundwater quality management is a priority in arid and semi-arid zones where water is scarce. Leachate from open dumping of municipal solid wastes may threaten groundwater quality. This research aimed at assessing groundwater quality of the aquifer of Shur river basin in Tehran province, Iran. The pollution potential of leachate from a landfill, located at the center of the basin, was estimated to assess its impact on the aquifer. Samples from 38 wells and 2 leachate ponds around the landfill were analyzed for their physico-chemical parameters and heavy metals. Leachate Pollution Index (LPI) and Water Quality Index (WQI) were calculated and multivariate statistical techniques were employed through geostatistical models to predict the spatial variability of groundwater quality and assess its contamination sources. The groundwater quality map was developed by GIS Interface. LPI indicated that leachate from the closed cell (LPI = 36) was more contaminating than that of the active site (LPI = 25). Kriging and cokriging geostatistical interpolation methods were applied to groundwater quality parameters. The best interpolation model was then identified through cross-validation with RMSE and GSD criteria. Cokriging yielded more accurate results than kriging. Spatial distribution maps showed high groundwater contamination and degraded water quality mainly in the central part of the basin, where the landfill was. Also, 293.7ha of the study area possessed poor and very poor water quality, unsuitable for drinking. This study implicated multiple approaches for groundwater quality assessment and estimated its spatial structure as an effort toward effective groundwater quality management in Shur river basin.

Municipal solid waste landfill leachate induced cytotoxicity in root tips of Vicia faba: Environmental Risk posed by non-engineered landfill

Landfills are considered the main option for dumping of municipal solid waste (MSW) all over the world, but these landfills are mostly non-engineered. The decomposition of solid waste in the landfill and rainwater penetration into the decomposing waste produces leachate that contains dissolved organic and inorganic compounds, heavy metals, suspended particles, and hazardous substances. Leachate migration in the environment may pose serious health risks to organisms exposed. Hence, the present study explored the cytotoxic potential of landfill leachate collected in different seasons from the Okhla landfill site, Delhi, India. Cytotoxicity of leachate samples was evaluatedby cell apoptosis and ultrastructural observation based on Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) of the cells of root tips of vicia faba seedlings treated with the leachates collected in summer, winter and monsoon in a time and dose dependent manner. Leachate collected in all the three seasons induced apoptosis in cells of root tips of vicia faba that increased in a time and dose dependent manner when compared to control. The apoptosis was highest in the samples treated with leachate collected in the summer season, followed by winter and monsoon. It was further confirmed with TEM images that there was induction of apoptotic-like morphological changes in the root cells treated with landfill leachate when compared with the control. The present study indicates that municipal solid waste leachate is very toxic and it should be treated before disposing it to the environment.

REGRESSION ANALYSIS OF PETROLEUM PRODUCTS CONCENTRATION IN THE SOILS OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE LANDFILLS

In recent years the total area of the municipal solid waste landfills and waste dumps, including overloaded, which violate the norms of ecological safety and are the objects of the intensive ecological loading, that pollute the environment with chemical substances, causing chemical pollution of the soils, in particular, with the petroleum products, has greatly increased. Determination of the regression dependence of the petroleum products concentration in the soils on the distance to the landfills of municipal solid waste is the relevant scientific-technical problem. Objective of the study is determination of the regression dependence of the petroleum products concentration in the soils on the distance to the municipal solid waste landfills. Regression was performed on the base of the linearized transformations, which enable to reduce the nonlinear dependence to linear one. Determination of the regression equations coefficients was performed by the method of the least squares with the help of the elaborated computer program "RegAnaliz", protected by the Certificate of the State registration of the rights to the copyright object. Adequate regression power dependence of the petroleum product concentration in the soils on the distance to the landfills of municipal solid waste was obtained, the dependence was used for the determination of the safe distance for the solid municipal landfills location from the agricultural lands by the index of the level of chemical pollution of the soil with petroleum products. Graphic interpretation of the dependence of the petroleum products concentration in the soil on the distance to the landfill of municipal solid waste is constructed, this interpretation enables to illustrate this dependence and show the coincidence of the theoretical results with the actual results on the level of 0.9999996. It was established that the safe distance for the location of the landfills of municipal solid waste from the agricultural lands by the index of the level of chemical pollution of the soil with petroleum products is 66 m.

Total mercury in soil and leachate from municipal solid waste dumping grounds in Mumbai, India

Total mercury in soil and leachate from municipal solid waste dumping grounds in Mumbai, India

Bacterial strains found in the soils of a municipal solid waste dumping site facilitated phosphate solubilization along with cadmium remediation

Phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) that can withstand high cadmium (Cd) stress is a desired combination for bioremediation. This study evaluated the Cd bioremediation potential of four PSB strains isolated from the contaminated soils of a municipal solid waste (MSW) discarding site (Guwahati, India). PSB strains were cultured in Pikovskaya (PVK) media, which led to higher acid phosphatase (ACP) activity and the release of organic acid. Optical density (OD) measurements were performed to determine the growth pattern of PSB; furthermore, Cd uptake by PSB was evaluated using infrared spectroscopy (IR) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analyses. The 16S rRNA taxonomic analysis revealed that all the four promising PSB strains belonged to either Bacillus sp. or Enterobacter sp. One strain (SM_SS8) demonstrated higher tolerance towards Cd (up to 100 mg L−1). Flow cytometry analysis revealed 70.92%, 46.93% and 20.4% viability of SM_SS8 in 10, 50 and 100 mg L−1, respectively in PVK media containing Cd. This study has therefore substantiated the bioremediation of Cd from polluted soil by the PSB isolates. Thus, experimental results revealed a potential combo benefit, phosphate solubilization along with Cd remediation.

Techno-commercial Assessment of Concurrent Municipal Brown Field Reclamation Procedures: A Pivotal Case study of Jawahar Nagar Dump Site

Techno-commercial Assessment of Concurrent Municipal Brown Field Reclamation Procedures: A Pivotal Case study of Jawahar Nagar Dump Site

Analysis and Modelling of Slope Failures in Municipal Solid Waste Dumps and Landfills: A Review

Analysis and Modelling of Slope Failures in Municipal Solid Waste Dumps and Landfills: A Review

Environmental Impact Evaluation of Current Municipal Solid Waste Treatments in India Using Life Cycle Assessment

An environmental life cycle assessment was conducted to compare proposed municipal solid waste treatment systems with the existing system in Visakhapatnam, India. Five waste alternative treatment systems, including open dumping of municipal solid waste (S1), landfill without gas recovery [LFWGR] (S2), landfill with gas recovery (S3), anaerobic digestion + LFWGR (S4), and incineration + LFWGR (S5). EASETECHTM was considered for assessment using ReCiPE Midpoint (Heuristic) world environmental impact assessment method. Global warming potential (GWP), terrestrial acidification (TA), freshwater eutrophication (FEW), marine water eutrophication (ME), human toxicity (HTP), terrestrial ecotoxicity (TE), freshwater ecotoxicity (FWT), and marine ecotoxicity (MET) impacts were determined for each option. The existing MSW disposal practice in Visakhapatnam city (baseline scenario, S1) has the highest GWP (1107 kg CO2 eq.), which can potentially be reduced to 68.2%, 81.5%, 98.2%, and 94.5% by alternative waste management scenarios S2, S3, S4 and S5, respectively. Scenario S4, involving the use of anaerobic digestion of food waste and residues dumped in engineered landfill without energy recovery was found to be the option with the highest mitigation potential of most of the impacts, and it contributes to significant environmental benefits in terms of ecological footprints in a low-income country such as India. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to confirm the reasonable legitimacy of data used for the determination of the impacts.

Treatment of Leachate from Open Dumpsite of Municipal Solid Waste by Ozone Based Advanced Oxidation Process

ABSTRACT Open dumping of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) results in generation of leachate that contains large amounts of organic matter, ammonia, heavy metals, chlorinated organics, phenolic compounds, phthalates, and pesticide residues which irreparably contaminate both surface and groundwater. Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOP) have been reported as one of the effective treatment methods, especially in improving the biodegradability of the leachate as well as effective in removing recalcitrant organics. With AOP pre-treatment rendered the leachate becomes more amenable to further treatment using biological treatment, adsorption, or ion-exchange processes. The study reported in this paper mainly aims at assessing the suitability of ozone and peroxone (O3+H2O2) based advanced oxidation processes (AOP) for the treatment of MSW leachate from the open dumpsite. The effect of reaction time, impact of O3 dose, and H2O2 concentration on the efficiency of COD removal, improvement in the biodegradability of the leachate, and pH change were determined as the performance parameters for the treatment process. The maximum COD removal efficiency was found to be 46% and 82% with ozone alone (3975 mg/L) and with ozone (9275 mg/L) + 50 mg/L H2O2 each with 120 min. reaction time. It is also found that the BOD5/COD ratio has been increased from 0.09 to 0.58 at optimum O3 + 50 mg/L H2O2 treatment would offer as an effective method for increasing the biodegradability.

Risk Perceptions and Experiences of Residents Living Nearby Municipal Solid Waste Open Dumpsite in Ginchi Town, Ethiopia: A Qualitative Study.

BackgroundDue to improper municipal solid waste management, the use of open dump sites for final disposal of solid waste is common in towns and cities of Ethiopia.PurposeThis study explored risk perceptions and experiences of Ginchi town residents living near Aba-Semer municipal solid waste open dumpsite in Ethiopia.MethodsData on lived experiences were generated using a phenomenological approach. Focus group discussion was used to explore risk perception. Purposive sampling was used to select five in-depth interviewees and 12 participants in two focus group discussions among residents living near Aba-Semer open dumpsite. Amharic language tape recorded data were transcribed verbatim and translated to English. Data were analyzed using OpenCode and a thematic approach was employed.ResultsAll the participants perceived municipal solid waste open dumpsite as a risk to the environment and health. Disappointment and anger were experienced due to lack of solutions and ongoing dumping of municipal solid waste at the open dumpsite. Residents were mainly victims of respiratory-related health problems and emotional stresses.Conclusion and RecommendationRisk perception was much influenced by lived experiences and observations of physical features. In return, risk perception and lived experiences had affected the level of emotional reactions from living near the open dumpsite. The municipality of the town should provide sustainable solution with provision of properly sited and designed municipal solid waste disposal site for the community in order to alleviate environment and health impacts from open dumpsite.

Data analysis in the fire safety system of rail transportation and dumping of municipal solid waste

The problems concerning the municipal solid waste (MSW) management have been discussed. A particular attention has been payed to the fire safety solutions. An original system of the MSW flammability classification that is based on the exergetic coefficient was introduced. The advantages of the application of this system to the MSW railway transportation and burial have been discussed. To implement the exergy approach, a data mining system has been developed. The input data includes the following characteristics: separate waste collection, the waste morphological composition; the location, capacity, inclination, a load level, and the number of the waste containers; the MSW temperature, the explosive gases concentrations, and other parameters. The analysis of data obtained with the waste management system allows us to optimize processes for the waste collection, transportation, and burial. This approach is proved to optimize the waste transportation and stocking, and improve the fire safety. This article provides the best practices for landfilling and burying MSW for Siberia.

Assessment of municipal solid waste management system in Lae City, Papua New Guinea in the context of sustainable development.

Lae City (LC) of Morobe Province is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. Due to the abundant natural resources it inherits, the resultant urbanization has led to an influx of the human population. This increase in population as a result of industrialization has led to increased municipal solid waste (MSW) accumulation. To address this exigent issue, which affects the nation’s carbon footprint, it is imperative to review socio-economic and geographic factors to establish a feasible approach for managing MSW efficiently and sustainably. In the quest to achieve the same, the present assessment focuses on the 3 core waste management hierarchy systems to support sustainable development for LC by reviewing existing opportunities and challenges associated with the current MSW management system and the associated policies. The result shows that as a sustainable approach to MSW management of LC, a zero-waste campaign for resource recovery engaging all stakeholders can be implemented since the organic content of MSW generated in LC is as high as 70%. Moreover, the dumping of MSW at the dedicated dumpsite site can be minimized if policies are strengthened and the proposed waste avoidance pathway is implemented strictly. In addition to this, to avoid the contamination of groundwater and recovery of methane, the use of the Fukuoka approach in the existing landfills has been suggested to capture leachate without any huge expenditure.Graphic abstract

Impact of municipal solid waste disposal on the surface water and sediment of adjoining wetland Deepor Beel in Guwahati, Assam, India.

The municipal solid waste (MSW) dump in Boragaon, Guwahati, lies on the fringe areas of the wetland, Deepor Beel, which is a Ramsar site. The study was undertaken to analyze the impact the solid waste dump has on the adjoining wetland. Five sampling locations (S1, S2, S3, S4 and S5) in the wetland were selected within a distance of 3000m from the MSW dump for the continuous monitoring of the surface water and sediment of the wetland. Nineteen physicochemical parameters (pH, EC, air and water temperature, total hardness, alkalinity, turbidity, DO, free CO2, TDS, BOD, Na+, K+, Ca2+, Cl-, NO3-, HCO3-, PO43-, SO42-) were analysed in the surface water, and 7 physicochemical parameters (pH, EC, %OC, %N, PO43-, K+, Na+) were analysed in sediment. Heavy metals Cu, Ni, Cd, Cr, Mn, Zn and As were analysed in surface water and sediment samples. The results of the principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) applied on the surface water data have aptly described the source of contamination in the study area to be from the adjoining MSW dump site. The surface spread of contamination from the MSW dump towards the wetland was evident from the regression equations drawn from the sediment data. The mean concentration of Mn, Cr, Ni, Cd and As in surface water exceeded the MPL (maximum permissible limit) of WHO 2011 (World Health Organization). The pollution load index (PLI) of sediment in the wetland shows that the study area is under the category of "progressive deterioration".

Pollution and health risk assessment of toxic metals in solid waste dumping site soil and its impact on groundwater: a case study

ABSTRACT Distribution, sources, level of pollution, and associated human health risk assessment of toxic metals in municipal solid waste (MSW) dumping site soil of Tezpur town, located on the northern side of the river Brahmaputra, Assam were investigated. The extent of metal contamination in the MSW dumping site soil was evaluated using enrichment factor (EF), geoaccumulation index (Igeo), contamination factor (Ci f), degree of contamination (Cd), and pollution load index (PLI). Based on these indices it can be concluded that MSW dumping site soil is highly contaminated with Cd and Pb. Moreover, ecological risk indices demonstrated high and low to moderate potential ecological risk due to Cd and Pb, respectively. Although no significant non-carcinogenic risk was found for the measured metals, potential carcinogenic risks of Cr, Pb, Ni, Cd for both children and adults were observed. Source apportionment study was carried out using principal component analysis (PCA) and it was found that metals were mainly originated from two sources: (1) Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cd were mainly from different components of MSW; (2) Mn, Cr, and Ni were from lithogenic materials. The concentrations of Cd and Pb in groundwater source at a radial distance of 20 m from the dumping site exceeded the prescribed limit for drinking water set by World Health Organization (WHO) and raises serious concern to the people residing near the dumping site.

Antimicrobial sensitivity profiling of bacterial communities recovered from effluents of municipal solid waste dumping site

The diversity of antibiotic-resistance bacteria (ARB) from the effluents of Aizawl city municipal waste dumping site was studied using a culture-dependent method. The present study molecularly identified 73 isolates that were differentiated into three phyla (Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes) belonging to 17 family and 22 genera. Bacillus constitutes the most dominant genus comprising 16% of the total isolates. The topology of the phylogenetic tree differentiates them into five major clades. Corynebacterium and Rhodococcus which are morphologically alike were clustered together and the Gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus, Bacillus, and Lysinibacillus formed a separate cluster. Antibiotic resistance of the identified bacterial isolates was performed using 19 different antibiotics. Among the isolates, 70 of them found resistant to polymixin B and nalidixic acid and 10 isolates exhibited resistance to 15 tested antibiotics. The present study revealed that bacteria with antibiotic resistance are extensively distributed in the effluents of the dumping site and may serve as a significant reservoir for the spreading of antibiotic resistance to opportunistic pathogens.

Occurrence, geochemical fraction, ecological and health risk assessment of cadmium, copper and nickel in soils contaminated with municipal solid wastes

Unscientific municipal solid waste (MSW) dumping provokes heavy metal (HM) associated ecological and human health hazards through heightened bioavailability and bioaccumulation. In this study, we focused on three important HMs Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu) and Nickel (Ni) and their geochemical fractions, to enable clutter free data management, analysis and interpretation. Stratified random soil sampling was carried out from twenty different locations around a Ramsar site (Deepor Beel) in Guwahati, India. The spatial concentration profiles of Cd, Cu and Ni were determined by data elicited from geochemical fractionation and the Geographic Information System (GIS). Ecological and health risks indices were used to evaluate the severity of soil pollution and assess the level of health risks. All the three HMs thus evaluated, conformed to the potential bioavailable category. Cd (54.59%) was associated mostly with the carbonate bound fraction (F3), while 25.53% of Cu and 40.60% Ni were associated with the exchangeable fraction (F2). Significant contamination levels and higher ecological risks posed by these metals were in the order Cd > Ni > Cu. Children were found to be more vulnerable towards Cd associated health risks whereas, Ni posed threats to both adults and children. Cu posed no risk to human health. Geochemical fractionation and different indices played a critical role in the integrated assessment of soil pollution, ecological and health risk assessment, and provided an empirical basis for the sustainable future planning and comprehensive adaptive management practices for MSW.