Assessment of Physicochemical Quality of the Polluting Load of Leachates From the Wild Dump of El Hajeb City (Morocco)

Abstract

The dump in the town of El Hajeb (Morocco) is devoid of a collection and treatment system of the generated brownish effluents known as leachates. In a permeable soil and of a water table circulating in shallow depth, these percolate, after their generation, accumulate at the bottom of the waste and can infiltrate through the ground to reach the underlying water table, thus causing its contamination. Leachate would require, therefore, a specific treatment before their rejection in the receiving environment. This study aims to make a physicochemical characterization of these leachates. To do this, we conducted a series of sampling, from May 2015 to January 2017. During this period, the physicochemical analysis revealed, on the one hand, that it is discharge juice in the acidogenesis phase, conveying a significant pollutant load rich in organic and inorganic matter (COD = 23597.5 ± 595.61 mgO2 L-1), in mineral salts (EC = 17.55 ± 0.72 mS cm-1) and in nutrient salts (TKN = 888.54 ± 13.53 mg-N L-1 and TP = 139.65 ± 48.89 mg-P L-1), concentrations exceed the values allowed by Moroccan and international standards, what makes these effluents toxic to the surrounding environment. By the present study, we incite decision-makers to manage well effectively the discharges taking into account the risks of the leachates generated.

Contamination of heavy metals and metalloids of groundwater in the vicinity to the wild landfill of El Hajeb city (Morocco)

“…It receives around 35 tons of waste daily, of which 78.1% is organic matter. The sources of solid waste include household waste at 90% (Gamar et al, 2017a).…”

“…The detection in the region of the city of El Hajeb of significant levels of heavy metals and metalloids in waters destined for human consumption has led to the realization of a study to identify potential risk areas. This area has already been the subject of a detailed potential investigation program including:  A study characterizing the leachates generated by the wild landfill of the city of El Hajeb (Gamar et al,2017a(Gamar et al, , 2017b, 2017c & 2017d),  A study of the physicochemical quality of groundwater adjacent to the same landfill (Gamar et al, 2018).…”

Evaluation of the Different Fractions of Organic Matter in an Electrochemical Treatment System Applied to Stabilized Leachates from the Bordo Poniente Landfill in Mexico City

“…The biological breakdown of amino acids and other nitrogenous organic materials in MSW results in the presence of NH 3 -N in leachates [30]. Because NH 3 -N is the longest-lasting component of leachate and has a high degree of stability under anaerobic conditions, it is used to assess the contamination risk in landfills [77]. Eutrophication, which is caused by high NH 3 -N values, causes a decrease in dissolved oxygen.…”

The Effect of the Distance from a Path on Abiotic Conditions and Vascular Plant Species in the Undergrowth of Urban Forests and Parks

“…It is difficult to explain unequivocally what factors caused such a result. In addition to the previously mentioned factors, the increase in soil electrical conductivity may be caused by illegal dumping [71][72][73]. According to The Management of Urban Green Areas in Kraków [51], tens of tons of rubbish are collected annually from municipal forests.…”