Direct discharge of municipal and industrial waste waters and leachate (originating from the illegal landfills) into recipients without prior purification is unfortunately very common practice in the region of northern Kosovo. In addition, irresponsible and incorrect selection of sites for industrial and municipal dumps, which are often located in vicinity or on actual river banks, contributes significantly to environmental pollution. Analysis of the leachate from such sites was done by direct sampling and by using TCLP (Toxicity Characteristic Leashing Procedures) method. Based on the analysis of physicochemical parameters of the filtrated water from the sites Zitkovac, Grabovac and Balaban and analysis of the samples of surface water and groundwater from the site Grabovac, possible steps for removal and reduction of the existing pollution were proposed. Potential permanent solution in form of purification of municipal and industrial waste waters as well as leachate from illegal landfills was suggested. The potential implementation of remediation with a unified system for water purification, by using Membrane Bio Reactor (MBR), which includes the process of stabilization/solidification of a residual sludge, would have as an end product a neutral powder material completely safe for the environment, suitable for a variety of applications.
The attitude of a society towards the environment is a good indicator of its awareness and a level of development. Scattered, illegal landfills represent one of the largest pollutants of surface and ground water, soil and atmosphere. In the region of northern Kosovo, majority of legal and illegal dumps are located on the alluvial deposits of rivers, near villages, and directly affect the spread of pollution. The environment is additionally threatened by a large number of industrial landfills, which originate from the process of Mining-Metallurgical- Chemical Plant “Trepča”―RMHK Trepča. This region has the largest lead-zinc ore deposits in Kosovo and among the largest in Europe, which have been exploited with interruptions from XIII-XXI century. RMHK Trepča lead and zinc plant was established by nationalization of property after the Second World War and it is characterized by inappropriate choice of landfill sites (mostly located on the banks of the rivers Sitnica and Ibar) and a lack of appropriate collectors for wastewater treatment. Heavy metals are known to have adverse effects on the environment and human health [
Samples of the leachate originating from the municipal waste deposits were analyzed along with samples of surface and ground waters. The leachate samples were taken at the end of February 2014, while the surface and ground water samples were taken in intervals: April, 2013, September, 2013, and February 2014. In order to determine leachate characteristics with different stage of decomposition, the samples were taken from different locations and from different vertical column depth. Sampling information is given in
The leachate water samples from the location Balaban intended for the basic and detailed physical and chemical
Locality | Sampling points | Description of sampling | Depth |
---|---|---|---|
Landfill Balaban | Monitoring wells (Piezometer (P1)) | 40 m opposite the entrance to the landfill | 3 m |
Monitoring wells (Piezometer (P2)) | 150 m to the right of the entrance to the landfill, with landfill body near the security fence | 3 m | |
Schacht (Š3) | Schacht leachate, 1.20 m to the right of the entrance facility for control | 3 m | |
Sewer (SK4) | Channel for collection leachate S1, S2, S3, S4, 50 m from the entrance | 4 m | |
Unregulated landfill in Grabovac on the bank of river Ibar | The sample (G1) | Central part of unregulated landfill in Grabovac | 1 m |
The sample (G2) | Slope unregulated landfill in Grabovac on the right bank of the river Ibar | 1.5 m | |
Unregulated landfill in Žitkovac | The sample (Ž1) | The Northeast part of the landfill (3 m from the edge) | 2 m |
The sample (Ž2) | The Southeastern part of the landfill (3 m from the edge) | 2 m |
analysis, were collected in the plastic bottles of 2 dm3, while the wastes from illegal landfills on the locations Grabovac and Žitkovac were collected into the plastic bags in order to simulate washout wastes and leaching waters in the laboratory (in regard to TCLP method-Toxicity Characteristic Leashing Procedures) [
For the purpose of testing the leachate from the illegal dumps the samples were taken from dumps in Grabovac and Žitkovac, and TCLP method was applied. Nowadays there are a number of methods that can be used to simulate the process of leaching of waste in a landfill or in the environment in order to assess the content of pollutants, or to determine the characteristics of the leachate in contact with the test material. Depending on the alkalinity and buffering capacity of waste two different extraction solutions were used in the applied TCLP method: solution 1 and 2 with pH of 4.92 and 2.88, respectively. In the first step, pH levels of the samples were determined in order to select the appropriate extraction solution for leaching. The solution was mixed together with 5 g of crushed and homogenized waste sample (with diameter less than 1 mm) and then mixed for 5 minutes with 96.5 cm3 of distilled water. In line with the US procedure EPA [
Qualitative and quantitative analysis of physical-chemical parameters of the leachate and waters was carried out using multiparameter equipment for water sampling Multi 340i Wissenschaftlich-technische Werkstatten GmbH (for the measurement and the determination of several parameters: pH/oxygen, conductivity and temperature), Dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) were measured with Winkler aside method. Most of parameters leachate are expressed in milligrams per cubic decimeter (m g/dm3), except pH, EC (μ S/cm) and temperature (˚C). As soon as the samples of leachate and water were brought to the laboratory they were preserved with 1ml of concentrated nitric acid (HNO3), filtered and stored in dark at an ambient temperature until microwave acid digestion following [
General and detailed analysis of physical and chemical properties of the leachate, surface and ground waters included: determination of the dissolved oxygen concentration, hydrogen ions concentration (pH values), electrical conductivity and hardness of water, as well as determination of parameters of the organic pollution such as chemical oxygen demand and biological oxygen demand in five days (BOD5). The results of the basic and detailed physical and chemical analysis of the samples of landfill leachate Balaban are given in
Based on the data presented in the
Nr. | The investigated parameters | Identification methods | unit of issue | Monitoring wells of leachate | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
P1 | P2 | Š3 | SK4 | ||||
1. | The water temperature on the ground | P-IV-I3 | ˚C | 7 | 10 | 27 | 13 |
2. | The air temperature | ˚C | 4 | 7 | 4 | 4 | |
3. | Electrical conductivity | P-IV-II3 | µS/cm | 2660 | 8550 | 20,800 | 19,540 |
4. | pH value | P-IV-6 (A)3 | - | 7.91 | 7.68 | 8.59 | 8.65 |
5. | The concentration of dissolved O2 | P-IV-12 (B)3 | mg/dm3 | 7.22 | 7.11 | 0.19 | 0.21 |
6. | Biological oxygen demand BOD5 | P-IV-133 | mg/dm3 | 26 | 32 | 784 | 1275 |
7. | Consumption of KMnO4 | P-IV-9a3 | mg/dm3 | 3.73 | 6.76 | 446.82 | 459.46 |
8. | Hardness of water | LCK 327 | 0dH | 4.68 | 12.9 | 74.3 | 72.4 |
9. | Nitrites | 8507 | mg/dm3 | 0.010 | 0.011 | 0.310 | 0.400 |
10. | Nitrates | 8171 | mg/dm3 | 0.2 | <0.1 | 40 | 37 |
11. | Phosphorus | LCK 349 | mg/dm3 | <0.15 | <0.15 | 13.6 | 6.85 |
12. | Potassium | 8049 | mg/dm3 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 515.78 | 491.85 |
13. | Chrome | LCK 313 | mg/dm3 | <0.03 | 0.036 | 1.08 | 0.306 |
14. | Iron | P-V-17/B3 | mg/dm3 | 7.395 | 7.477 | 18.320 | 10.095 |
15. | Zink | ISO 8288/86 | mg/dm3 | 0.619 | 1.367 | 1.444 | 1.517 |
16. | Cadmium | LCK 308 | mg/dm3 | <0.02 | <0.02 | 0.12 | 0.19 |
17. | Nickel | ISO 8288/86 | mg/dm3 | 3.947 | 3.998 | 4.613 | 5.029 |
18. | Calcium | P-V-22/B | mg/dm3 | 15.152 | 58.542 | 51.613 | 58.150 |
19. | Magnesium | P-V-22/B | mg/dm3 | 11.290 | 20.829 | 293.284 | 281.432 |
Very low concentration of the dissolved oxygen in all tested samples, within the interval of 0.19 - 7.22 mg/dm3, point to the burdening of these leachate with organic matters, while very high conductivity range (2660 - 20,800 µS/cm) suggests that the total content of the dissolved salts is very high. Considering that extremely high heavy metals concentrations (Ni, Fe, Zn) were detected which are several times higher than Maximum allowed concentration (MAC) stated in the Directive on waters classification of the Republic of Serbia [
Physical and chemical characteristics of the leachate waste from the illegal dump in Grabovac, obtained after treatment of waste samples using TCLP method are given in
Based on the data shown in the
The tailings deposit of the Mining-Metallurgy Chemical Company “Trepča” in Žitkovac (north of the town Zvečan), is located on the left bank of the river Ibar. It occupies surface of 150,000 m2 and was originally 20 m high. Although initially flotation tailings from the mineral processing in Zvečan, originating from processing of ores from mines “Stari Trg”, “Belo Brdo”, “Crnac”, “Ajvalija”, “Badovac”, “Kišnica” and “Novo Brdo”) were deposited there, in recent years it has become an illegal deposit of the municipal waste of the municipalities of
Nr. | The investigated parameters | Marking methods | unit | Leachate water | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
G 1 | G 2 | ||||
1. | Temperature of waste in the field | P-IV-I3 | ˚C | 7 | 7 |
2. | The air temperature | ˚C | 3 | 4 | |
3. | Electrical conductivity | P-IV-II3 | µS/cm | 820 | 918 |
4. | The pH value | P-IV-6 (A)3 | - | 7.39 | 7.41 |
5. | The concentration of dissolved O2 | P-IV-12 (B)3 | mg/dm3 | 0.18 | 0.15 |
6. | Biological oxygen demand BOD5 | P-IV-133 | mg/dm3 | 198 | 201 |
7. | Chemical oxygen demand | P-IV-103 | mg/dm3 | 376 | 382 |
8. | Hardness of water | LCK 327 | ˚dH | 71.3 | 70.4 |
9. | Nitrites | 8507 | mg/dm3 | 0.037 | 0.040 |
11. | Phosphorus | LCK 349 | mg/dm3 | 5.61 | 5.85 |
12. | Potassium | 8049 | mg/dm3 | 45.78 | 39.85 |
13. | Chrome | LCK 313 | mg/dm3 | 1.03 | 0.96 |
14. | Iron | P-V-17/B3 | mg/dm3 | 13.124 | 10.095 |
15. | Zink | ISO 8288/86 | mg/dm3 | 1.024 | 1.307 |
16. | Cadmium | LCK 308 | mg/dm3 | 0.24 | 0.19 |
17. | Nickel | ISO 8288/86 | mg/dm3 | 0.643 | 0.529 |
18. | Calcium | P-V-22/B | mg/dm3 | 47.313 | 51.150 |
19. | Magnesium | P-V-22/B | mg/dm3 | 284.384 | 279.432 |
Zvečan and Mitrovica North. Physicochemical characteristics of the leachate from the waste deposited in the illegal dump in Žitkovac, obtained after treatment of waste samples by using TCLP method are presented in
The observed very low concentration of the dissolved oxygen in the investigated samples (
Constant and complex pollution of the area to which the north part of Kosovo belongs, due to the presence of a large number of industrial landfills and illegal municipal solid waste landfills located in close vicinity or on the banks of the local rivers and the determined presence of heavy metals from industrial plants and landfills, and other hazardous and noxious substances, which are very high on the list of pollutants in this area due to their toxicities, has initiated the examination of the content of heavy metals in the river Ibar and groundwater’s downstream from Grabovac and the landfill site Balaban (Pb, Cr, Ni, Cd, Zn and Hg). The test results are given in
Conductivity is an important and fast method that measures the total dissolved ions and is directly related to total solids. The electrical conductivity (EC) of water samples in the Ibar river and groundwater ranges from 224 to 798 μS/cm. Conductivity is also affected by temperature. The warmer waters have higher values of the conductivity. The water temperature is also a significant parameter that controls the inborn physical qualities of the
Nr. | The investigated parameters | Marking methods | Unit | Leachate water | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ž1 | Ž2 | ||||
1. | Temperature of waste in the field | P-IV-I3 | ˚C | 9 | 8 |
2. | The air temperature | ˚C | 4 | 4 | |
3. | Electrical conductivity | P-IV-II3 | µS/cm | 1120 | 1870 |
4. | The pH value | P-IV-6 (A)3 | - | 7.95 | 8.01 |
5. | The concentration of dissolved O2 | P-IV-12 (B)3 | mg/dm3 | 0.15 | 0.16 |
6. | Biological oxygen demand BOD5 | P-IV-133 | mg/dm3 | 438 | 572 |
7. | Chemical oxygen demand | P-IV-103 | mg/dm3 | 212 | 172 |
8. | Hardness of water | LCK 327 | ˚dH | 65.3 | 72.4 |
9. | Nitrites | 8507 | mg/dm3 | 0.227 | 0.234 |
11. | Phosphorus | LCK 349 | mg/dm3 | 12.6 | 6.85 |
12. | Potassium | 8049 | mg/dm3 | 437.62 | 399.31 |
13. | Chrome | LCK 313 | mg/dm3 | 0.39 | 0.43 |
14. | Iron | P-V-17/B3 | mg/dm3 | 13.25 | 15.90 |
15. | Zink | ISO 8288/86 | mg/dm3 | 1.51 | 2.13 |
16. | Cadmium | LCK 308 | mg/dm3 | 0.03 | 0.05 |
17. | Nickel | ISO 8288/86 | mg/dm3 | 3.561 | 4.181 |
18. | Calcium | P-V-22/B | mg/dm3 | 49.28 | 53.75 |
19. | Magnesium | P-V-22/B | mg/ dm3 | 187.2 | 202.4 |
The investigated parameters | unit | Surface water | Well water | The quality of water by classes based on parameter values | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grabovac Apr./13 | Grabovac Sep. /13 | Grabovac Feb. /14 | Balaban Apr./13 | Balaban Sep./13 | Balaban Feb./13 | Grabovac Apr./13 | Grabovac Sep./13 | Grabovac Feb./13 | I | II | III | IV | V | ||
Scent | the smell of rot | the smell of rot | the smell of rot | the smell of rot | the smell of rot | the smell of rot | without | without | without | ||||||
Colors | NTU | 2.1 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.1 | no color | no color | no color | |||||
Suspended solids | mg/dm3 | 21 | 18 | 19 | 9.5 | 14 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 25 | 25 | - | - | - |
The water temperature in the field | ˚C | 12 | 16 | 9 | 8 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 9 | |||||
The air temperature | ˚C | 10 | 15 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 10 | 15 | 8 | |||||
Electrical conductivity | mg/dm3 | 442 | 508 | 451 | 442 | 395 | 369 | 236 | 224 | 230 | <1000 | 1000 | 1500 | 3000 | >3000 |
The pH value | mg/dm3 | 7.9 | 8.1 | 8.2 | 7.8 | 8.1 | 7.9 | 7.8 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 6.5 - 8.5 | 6.5 - 8.5 | 6.5 - 8.5 | 6.5 - 8.5 | <6. or >8.5 |
The concentration of dissolved O2 | mg/dm3 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 6.1 | 6.3 | 6.2 | 8.9 | 8.7 | 8.8 | - | 7 | 5 | 4 | < 4 |
Biological oxygen demand BOD5 | mg/dm3 | 7.2 | 6.9 | 7.1 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.5 | - | 5 | 7 | 25 | > 25 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chemical oxygen demand | mg/dm3 | 17.3 | 16.5 | 17.2 | 12.8 | 13.7 | 12.6 | 5.9 | 5.5 | 5.7 | 5 | 10 | 20 | 50 | >50 |
Hardness of water | 0dH | 198 | 189 | 170 | 201 | 203 | 199 | 175 | 178 | 175 | |||||
Nitrates | mg/dm3 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.65 | 0.39 | 0.47 | 0.34 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.03 | 0.12 | 0.3 | >0.3 |
Phosphates | mg/dm3 | 0.1 | 0.07 | 0.06 | 0.1 | 0.08 | 0.05 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.02 | - | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.5 | >0.5 |
Sulfates | mg/dm3 | 95.50 | 94.66 | 88.45 | 81.74 | 76.63 | 75.41 | 43.72 | 56.80 | 59.67 | 50 | 100 | 200 | 300 | >300 |
Chloride | mg/dm3 | 18.4 | 18.3 | 18.1 | 18.3 | 18.7 | 18.1 | 10.3 | 10.5 | 10.1 | 50 | 100 | 150 | 250 | >250 |
Chrome | μg/dm3 | 0.09 | 2.58 | 2.76 | 0.28 | 0.27 | 2.61 | 0.05 | < 0.05 | 0.05 | 25 | 50 | 100 | 250 | >250 |
Nickel | μg/dm3 | 1.8 | 6.59 | 3.12 | 0.10 | 0.09 | 3.28 | 0.18 | 0.16 | 0.17 | 20 | 25 | 50 | 100 | >100 |
Lead | μg/dm3 | 193.22 | 148.31 | 132.15 | 54.68 | 39.90 | 27.62 | 12.97 | 18.85 | 13.81 | 50 | 100 | 100 | 200 | >200 |
Cadmium | μg/dm3 | 5.0 | 17.68 | 0.10 | 0.06 | 0.06 | 13.12 | 0.06 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 5 and < | 30 and < | 100 < | 200 | >200 |
Zink | μg/dm3 | 3.24 | 7.24 | 3.21 | 0.06 | < 0.05 | 0.81 | 0.08 | 0.09 | 0.10 | 10 | 100 | 200 | 500 | 1000 |
Mercury | μg/dm3 | 0.01 | 0.35 | 0.43 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.37 | 5.98 | 4.99 | 5.48 | 5 | 5 | <10 | 10 | >10 |
Iron | μg/dm3 | 94 | 75 | 80 | 74 | 75 | 56 | 47 | 40 | 38 | 100 | 200 | 500 | 1000 | 2000 |
Copper | μg/dm3 | 112 | 124 | 310 | 85 | 57 | 65 | 18 | 22 | 19 | 10 | 100 | 200 | 500 | 1000 |
Calcium | mg/dm3 | 64.7 | 67.6 | 65.8 | 85.6 | 70.7 | 69.2 | 60.5 | 57.3 | 67.4 | - | - | - | - | - |
Magnesium | mg/dm3 | 17.4 | 19.2 | 18.7 | 26.5 | 21.4 | 20.8 | 14.1 | 18.4 | 11.9 | - | - | - | - | - |
Phenols | mg/dm3 | 0.008 | 0.006 | 0.004 | 0.006 | 0.005 | 0.004 | 0.002 | 0.001 | 0.002 | 0.001 | 0.001 | / | / | / |
water. In this study, the surface water temperature ranged between 6˚C and 16˚C, while the temperature of the ground water was in the range of 9˚C - 10˚C. The pH is a measurement of the acidity or basic quality of water. Extremely high or low pH levels have a significant effect for most aquatic organisms. The pH of the water changes even slightly. In this study the pH levels range from 7.8 to 8.2. Turbidity is another important parameter of water pollution. The present study shows the turbidity of river in the range of 19 - 98 NTU, while the turbidity of groundwater is 1 NTU. The highest desirable limits for turbidity are 5 NTU and maximum permissible limit 50 NTU [
Based on the results presented in
Comparing the results of the analysis of the leachate collected in schacht (S3) and sewer (SK4) in the landfill Balaban, where there is no direct contact between leachate of landfill and surface and ground waters in the environment, with the results for leachate of illegal and informal dumps (Grabovac and Žitkovac) and analysis of the investigated parameters of surface and ground waters (
As a first step it would be necessary to find an adequate location for the sanitary landfill of municipal waste and to change the existing attitude towards waste as waste now represents “the raw material in the wrong place”, also to apply hierarchy approach to waste management (reduce, reuse, recycle, recover and residual management) and to implement an adequate methods for rehabilitation and for prevention of future pollution.
Construction of a drainage channel at borders of a landfill (the so-called collector), which would be connected to a network of municipal waste water and drainage pipes placed into the body of illegal dumps, could prevent the pollution of surface and ground water, and thus contamination of crops as well as spread of pollution in the region. A schematic presentation of links of leachate from illegal dumps with a network of urban wastewater is presented in
Including of landfill leachate into the system of municipal waste water offers a possibility for purification of municipal wastewater, industrial wastewater and leachate using unique Membrane Bio Reactors (MBR) technology. Performed analysis shows that, after the MBR wastewater treatment, quality of an effluent is better than legally required [
In the process of treating waste and leachate with the MBR technology, the excess waste sludge is minimal, it is adequate and well stabilized, which enables its further processing. The amount of sludge in other processes is about 0.6 - 0.7 kg per kg of BOD, depending on temperature, sludge age and effluent quality.
Technological procedure of sludge stabilization is based on the process of solidification, with a purpose to convert the waste and sludge (hereinafter, on the basis of the definition of waste, used only the term waste) [
This technological process is a physical and chemical procedure in which a reaction takes place between waste and additives based on calcium (calcium oxide CaO and calcium hydroxide Ca(OH)2. During this reaction, the waste molecule is permanently transformed into a new neutral product. The process takes place in a reactor under sub-pressure, so there is no emission of pollutants into the air and thus no pollution of the environment. The final product of the permanent transformation of the waste mixture is completely neutral and it can be used for various applications [
Results of physicochemical parameters and determined contents of heavy metals leaching from dumps in the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica suggest an exceptional pollution. High contents of organic pollutants and heavy metals found on sites near illegal waste dumps in Grabovac and Žitkovac, as well as the concentrations of these metals in groundwater (well) in Grabovac. Particularly is disturbing increased mercury content in groundwater in Grabovac, content of copper, especially, in surface water in Grabovac and multiple increased concentrations of phenol in samples of surface and ground water. Given that the sampling was performed in three different periods (April 2013, September 2013 and February 2014), it can be concluded that pollution is present in all experimental periods. Constant, growing environmental degradation requires urgent interventions in waste management and implementation of accessible and effective method for reducing and preventing environmental pollution and the harmful and hazardous substances from entering the food chain. In this paper, we proposed a method of rehabilitation and prevention of further pollution by applying of Membrane Bio Reactor (MBR) plants for treatment of municipal, industrial and leachate from informal landfills, which include the process of stabilization of residual sludge. This technological procedure is considered as one of allowed and recommended technologies in Europe for industrial and municipal waste and leachate recycling, as well as the best available technology that does not require any excessive costs of waste management and does not pollute the environment.
This research is conducted as a part of project No. III 43007, The investigated of climate change and their impact on the environment, monitoring impact, adaptation and mitigation; This study is supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological development of the Republic of Serbia.
Irma Dervišević,Jelena Đokić,Nataša Elezović,Gordana Milentijević,Vladan Ćosović,Almin Dervišević, (2016) The Impact of Leachate on the Quality of Surface and Groundwater and Proposal of Measures for Pollution Remediation. Journal of Environmental Protection,07,745-759. doi: 10.4236/jep.2016.75067