Numerical modeling and simulation of leachate transport in MSW contaminated soil: Impact on seasonal changes

Abstract

A municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal site with an area of 200 m2 and a depth of 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 m is studied to assess and control the environmental impacts of leachate discharge on the inner layers of soil. The numerical model was developed under rainy and dry seasonal conditions. The soil properties and leachate concentration data were used for the finite element modelling considering time steps and diffusion coefficient. The effect of seasonal variations in leachate transport is dependent on soil properties such as hydraulic conductivity, moisture content and porosity. Results obtained from numerical computations were compared with the experimental values. However, the comparison demonstrates a good agreement between experimental and numerical calculations.

Keywords

• Leachate transport
• MSW dumpsite
• Seasonal variation
• Soil
• Numerical modeling