Information AboutLeachate |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT LEACHATE | |
| anaerobic digestion | |
| biodegradable waste management | |
| environmental soil science | |
| landfill | |
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The risks from waste leachate are due to pathogenic micro-organisms and toxic substances that might be present in it. These risks are greatly mitigated by properly designed and engineered landfill sites. For example, sites that are constructed on geologically impermeable materials or sites that use impermeable liners made of Geotextile s or Clay . The use of linings is now mandatory within both the United States and the European Union except where the waste is genuinely impermeable. In addition toxic materials such as Cadmium and Toluene cannot be disposed of in landfills. In older landfills, the leachate was directed to the sewers, but this caused problems. One of these was the contamination by toxic metals which passed through the sewerage treatment plant and eventually entered the environment. Another problem was that if the landfill contained large amounts of organic material then Methane was produced, some of which dissolved in the leachate. This could be released in poorly ventilated areas in the treatment plant and lead to an explosion. Finally, it can contain high concentrations of Ammonia which can pose a health hazard to treatment plant workers, particularly in acidic leachate. Leachate can also be produced from property that was contaminated by chemicals or toxic materials used in industrial activities such as factories, mines or storage sites. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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