Organic indicators of groundwater pollution by a sanitary landfill

Abstract

The organic composition of leachate from the Barcelona sanitary landfill is described. According to the low degree of stabilization of the disposed garbage the acid fraction accounts for 80–90% of the total organic extract. More than 50 individual organic components have been identified, indicating catabolic degradation of lipids (e.g. C4–C11 carboxylic acids), proteins (e.g. indole derivatives) and lignins (e.g. p-hydroxyphenyl derivatives) or simply compounds originally present in the refuse that have been washed out by percolating waters (nicotine, caffeine, phthalates). To obtain a monitoring system for the groundwater pollution originated by this landfill leachate, an analytical method is proposed based on the GC-ECD fingerprinting of groundwater acidic extracts after derivatization with PFB bromide. The chromatogram contains carboxylic and phenolic components and the profiles exhibited by waters from several test wells in the downstream edge of the landfill were indicative of the suspected leachate pollution.