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Impacts of leachate of landfill on the groundwater hydrochemistry and size distributions and heavy metal components of colloids: a case study in NE China

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Abstract

Colloids associated with heavy metals are ubiquitous in contaminated groundwater; waste accumulation at imperfectly sealed landfills can produce large amounts of leachate with colloids and heavy metal contaminants, which can pollute the downstream groundwater. In this study, three sites in a landfill were sampled to reveal heavy metal particle size distributions and their chemical compositions. The > 220 nm particle sizes were the predominant size in the downstream groundwater, while the < 10 nm particle sizes were the predominant size in the upstream groundwater. Total Fe increased from 35.5 μg/L in the upstream groundwater to 107 μg/L in the downstream groundwater. This increase was attributed to the enhanced migration and accumulation of colloids in the aqueous phase. The elements and the colloid size distribution in the landfill indirectly reflected the composition and degradation of the waste. Colloids played a key role in distribution of both solid particles and aqueous contaminants in the landfill. The results of this study will contribute to the knowledge of the effect of different contaminants in the vicinity of landfills without appropriate sealing systems.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Paul Seward, PhD, from Liwen Bianji, Edanz Group China (www.liwenbianji.cn/ac), for editing the English text of a draft of this manuscript.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41472215, 41877175, and 41877174) and the 111 Project [B16020].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Groundwater Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China

    Yuanzheng Zhai, Tianyi Ma, Jingjing Zhou, Xiaofei Li, Dan Liu, Zhuo Wang & Yunqi Qin

  2. College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, People’s Republic of China

    Yuanzheng Zhai & Qingqing Du

  3. College of New Energy and Environment, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China

    Tianyi Ma, Jingjing Zhou, Xiaofei Li, Dan Liu, Zhuo Wang & Yunqi Qin

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  1. Yuanzheng Zhai
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  2. Tianyi Ma
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  4. Xiaofei Li
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  5. Dan Liu
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Correspondence to Tianyi Ma.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Zhai, Y., Ma, T., Zhou, J. et al. Impacts of leachate of landfill on the groundwater hydrochemistry and size distributions and heavy metal components of colloids: a case study in NE China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 5713–5723 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-4053-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-4053-0

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