Abstract
Landfill leachates are composed of a complex mixture of degradation products which include a wide range of potentially fluorescent organic molecules and compounds. Here we investigate the use of fluorescence excitation–emission matrix (EEM) analysis in detecting diffuse landfill leachate contamination in rivers. Landfill leachates from three unlined landfill sites adjacent to our study river are characterised by intense fluorescence at excitation wavelength 220–230 nm, and emission wavelength 340–370 nm, which derives from fluorescent components of the xenobiotic organic matter fraction. Seven surface water sample sites on an adjacent polluted river system were analysed for fluorescence and water quality properties. The 220–230 nm excitation wavelength, 340–370 nm emission wavelength fluorescent centre was also detected in this river system at the sample locations downstream of the landfills, but not at upstream control sites, demonstrating its use as a tracer of landfill leachate contamination. Negative correlations are observed between this fluorescence centre and dissolved oxygen in the river water samples, demonstrating the water quality implications of leachate contamination at this study site. The fluorescence intensity at the 220–230 nm excitation wavelength, 340–370 nm emission wavelength fluorescent centre in landfill leachates is such that it remains detectable at dilutions of 102–103, and the fluorescence EEM technique is rapid and cost-effective for use by river managers and water quality regulators.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Atekwana, E. A. and Krishnamumurthy, R. V.: in press, ‘Investigating landfill-impacted groundwater seepage into headwater streams using stable carbon isotopes’, Hydrol. Process. 18, 1915–1926.
Bakare, A. A., Mosuro, A. A. and Osibanjo, O.: 2003, ‘Landfill leachate-induced toxicity in mice’, J. Environ. Biol. 24, 429–435.
Baker, A.: 2001, ‘Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix characterisation of some sewage impacted rivers’, Environ. Sci. Technol. 35, 948–953.
Baker, A.: 2002a, ‘Fluorescence properties of some farm wastes: Implications for water quality monitoring’, Water Res. 36, 189–194.
Baker, A.: 2002b, ‘Spectrophotometric discrimination of river organic matter’, Hydrol. Process. 16, 3202–3213.
Baker, A.: 2002c, ‘Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix characterisation of river waters impacted by a tissue mill effluent’, Environ. Sci. Technol. 36, 1377–1382.
Baker, A. and Inverarity, R.: 2004, ‘Protein-like fluorescence intensity as a possible tool for determining river water quality’, Hydrol. Process. 18, 2927–2945.
Baker, A., Inverarity, R., Charlton, M. E. and Richmond, S.: 2003, ‘Detecting river pollution using fluorescence spectrophotometry: Case studies from the Ouseburn, NE England’, Environ. Pollut. 124, 57–70.
Baker, A., Ward, D., Lieten, S. H., Periera, R., Simpson, E. C. and Slater, M.: 2004, ‘Measurement of protein-like fluorescence in river and waste water using a handheld spectrophotometer’, Water Res. 38, 2934–2938.
Barlez, M. A., Rooker, A. P., Kjeldsen, P., Gabr, M. A. and Borden, R. C.: 2002, ‘Critical evaluation of factors required to terminate the post-closure monitoring period at solid waste landfills’, Environ. Sci. Technol. 36, 3457–3464.
Baun, A., Reitzel, L. A., Ledin, A., Christensen, T. H. and Bjerg, P. L.: 2003, ‘Natural attenuation of xenobiotic organic compounds in a landfill leachate plume (Vejen, Denmark)’, J. Contam. Hydrol. 65, 269–291.
Calace, N., Liberatori, A., Petronio, B. M. and Pietroletti, M.: 2001, ‘Charateristics of different molecular weight fractions of organic matter in landfill leachate and their role in soil sorption of heavy metals’, Environ. Pollut. 113, 331–339.
Christensen, T. H., Kjeldsen, P., Bjerg, P. L., Jensen, D. L., Christensen, J. B., Baun, A., Albrechtsen, H. J. and Heron, G.: 2001, ‘Biogeochemistry of landfill leachate plumes’, Appl. Geochem. 16, 659–718.
Coble, P. G., Green, S. A., Blough, N. V. and Gagosian, R. B.: 1990, ‘Characterisation of dissolved organic matter in the Black Sea by fluorescence spectroscopy’, Nature 348, 432–435.
Coors, A., Jones, P. D., Giesy, J. P. and Ratte, H. T.: 2003, ‘Removal of estrogenic activity from municipal waste landfill leachate assessed with bioassay based on reporter gene expression’, Environ. Sci. Technol. 37, 3430–3434.
Hodgkiss, I. J. and Lu, S.: 2004, ‘The effects of nutrients and their ratios on phytoplankton abundance in Junk Bay Hong Kong’, Hydrobiologia 512, 215–229.
Kang, K.-H., Shin, H. S. and Park, H.: 2002, ‘Characterization of humic substances present in landfill leachates with different ages and its implications’, Water Res. 36, 4023–4032.
Kao, C. M., Chen, K. F., Liao, Y. L. and Chen, C. W.: 2003, ‘Water quality management in the Kaoping River watershed, Taiwan’, Water Sci. Technol. 47, 209–216.
Mayer, L. M., Schick, L. L. and Loder, T. C. III.: 1999, ‘Dissolved protein fluorescence in two Maine estuaries’, Mar. Chem. 64, 171–179.
McKnight, D. M., Boyer, E. W., Westerhoff, P. K., Doran, P. T., Kulbe, T. and Andersen, D. T.: 2001, ‘Spectrofluorometric characterization of aquatic fulvic acid for determination of precursor organic material and general structural properties’, Limnol. Oceanogr. 46, 38–48.
McKnight, D. M., Hood, E. and Klapper, L.: 2003, ‘Trace organic moieties of dissolved organic material in natural waters’, in S. E. G. Findlay and R. L. Sinsaburgh (eds), Aquatic Ecosystems: Interactivity of Dissolved Organic Matter, Academic Press, San Diego, pp. 71–93.
Mopper, K. and Schultz, C. A.: 1993 ‘Fluorescence as a possible tool for studying the nature and water column distribution of DOC components’, Mar. Chem. 41, 229–238.
Newson, M. D., Baker, A., and Mounsey, S.: 2001, ‘The potential role of freshwater luminescence measurements in exploring runoff pathways in upland catchments’, Hydrol. Process. 15, 989–1002.
Ohno, T.: 2002, ‘Fluorescence inner-filtering correction for determining the humification index of dissolved organic matter’, Environ. Sci. Technol. 36, 742–746.
Parlanti, E., Wörz, K., Geoffroy, L. and Lamotte, M.: 2001, ‘Dissolved organic matter fluorescence spectroscopy as a tool to estimate biological activity in a coastal zone submitted to anthropogenic inputs’, Org. Geochem. 31, 1765–1781.
Reynolds, D. M. and Ahmad, S. R.: 1997, ‘Rapid and direct determination of wastewater BOD values using a fluorescence technique’, Water Res. 31, 2012–2018.
Schwarzbauer, J., Heim, S., Brinker, S. and Littke, R.: 2002, ‘Occurrence and alteration of organic contaminants in seepage and leakage water from a waste deposit landfill’, Water Res. 36, 2275–2287.
Stedmon, C. A., Markager, S., and Bro, R.: 2003, ‘Tracing dissolved organic matter in aquatic environments using a new approach to fluorescence spectroscopy’, Mar. Chem. 82, 239–254.
Thoss, V., Baird, M. S. and Lock, M. A.: 2000, ‘The development of a chemical “fingerprint” to characterise dissolved organic matter in natural waters’, J. Environ. Monit. 2, 398–403.
Van Breukelen, B. M., Roling, W. F. M., Groen, J., Griffioen, J. and van Verseveld, H. W.: 2003, ‘Biogeochemistry and isotope geochemistry of a landfill leachate plume’, J. Contam. Hydrol. 65, 245–268.
Vasel, J. L. and Praet, E.: 2002, ‘On the use of fluorescence measurements to characterise wastewater’, Water Sci. Technol. 45, 109–116.
Vilomet, J. D., Angeletti, B., Moustier, S., Ambrosi, J. P., Wiesner, M., Bottero, J. Y. and Chatelet-Snidaro, L.: 2001, ‘Application of strontium isotopes for tracing landfill leachate plumes’, Environ. Sci. Technol. 35, 4675–4679.
Vilomet, J. D., Veron, A., Ambrosi, J. P., Moustier, S., Bottero, J. Y. and Chatelet-Snidaro, L.: 2003, ‘Isotopic tracing of landfill leachates and pollutant lead mobility in soil and groundwater’, Environ. Sci. Technol. 37, 4586–4591.
Westerhoff, P., Chen, W. and Esparza, M.: 2001, ‘Fluorescence analysis of a standard fulvic acid and tertiary treated wastewater’, J. Environ. Qual. 30, 2037–2046.
Wintgens, T., Gallenkemper, M. and Melin, T.: 2003, ‘Occurrence and removal of endocrine disrupters in landfill leachate treatment plants’, Water Sci. Technol. 48, 127–134.
Yan, Y., Li, H. and Myrick, M. L.: 2000, ‘Fluorescence fingerprint of waters: excitation emission matrix spectroscopy as a tracking tool’, Appl. Spectrosc. 54, 1539–1542.
Zafar, M. and Alappat, B. J.: 2004, ‘Landfill surface runoff and its effect on surface water quality on the River Yamuna’, J. Environ. Sci. Health Part A – Toxic/Hazard. Subst. Environ. Eng. 39, 375–384.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Baker, A. Fluorescence Tracing of Diffuse Landfill Leachate Contamination in Rivers. Water Air Soil Pollut 163, 229–244 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-005-0279-9
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-005-0279-9