Effect of Municipal Solid Waste Disposal on the Engineering Properties of Soil from a Non-Engineered Landfill

Abstract

The presents study showed the effect of open dumping on soil characteristics and biodegradation settlement analysis of soil in non-engineered landfill. The contaminated soil is referred to as waste soil which has different settlement rates due to the various categories and complex characteristics of waste. The degradation of waste causing percolation of leachate into soil affecting the strength and stability of soil. This paper includes the analysis of geotechnical properties and settlement analysis of waste soil and its comparison was done with natural soil. The geochemical analysis was carried out by Energy Dispersive X- Ray Spectroscopy (EDX) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The elemental analysis of soil exhibited presence of high oxygen and silica content in uncontaminated soil. The analysis depicted that specific gravity, maximum dry density (MDD), permeability and California bearing ratio (CBR) showed decreasing trend variation for polluted soil. It was observed that cohesion for contaminated soil was found to be increased thereby increasing the shear strength of soil. Additionally, temperature, pH and moisture content hold a significant position for assessing the settlement. The settlement of soil due to biodegradation of MSW is estimated using empirical mathematical model for dump site depending upon pH, moisture content and temperature. Additionally, settlement is evaluated keeping in view the settlement due to biodegradation of MSW on soil, which further helped in determination of the suitability of the site for the construction and other recreational purposes.

Assessment of The Geotechnical Properties of Municipal Solid Waste and Its Effect on The Surrounding Soil: A Review

“…The organic waste percentage in these areas of Himachal Pradesh was 57.67% (Solan), 52.83% (Sundernagar), 56% (Mandi), and 50.83% (Baddi). Also, Thakur et al, [23] obtained high organic content in waste, 56.1%, which mostly consisted of food, kitchen and vegetable waste, and 10.3% of plastic waste. In addition, U. K. Singh et al, [8] indicated similar results, they showed high organic and earth material components, 72% and 13.40%, respectively.…”

“…MSW compositions vary based on its types and sources [14,23]. Food and garden wastes, plastics, paper products, textiles, rubber, wood, ashes, and soils are common MSW components [29,30].…”

“…Specific gravity is a significant property since it contributes to the computation of other soil-related characteristics [11]. Thakur et al, [23] demonstrated that specific gravity of contaminated soil in a non-engineered landfill site in India ranged from 1.95 to 2.08 that increased with depth while specific gravity for natural soil to be 2.46. Because the dumping effect tends to diminish with depth, soilspecific gravity increases.…”

“…Because the dumping effect tends to diminish with depth, soilspecific gravity increases. Thus, it can be observed that contaminated soil has the lowest specific gravity when compared to uncontaminated soil [23]. Additionally, Sujatha et al, [24] studied that the dumpsite samples' specific gravity in Ariyamangalam, Trichy, India varied between 1.84-2.38 and that of control sample was 2.65.…”

“…The age and type of the contaminants would impact the geotechnical characteristics of the soil well [22]. The studies performed by Raman & Sathiya Narayanan, [2], Ali et al, [9] Azeez et al, [10], Emeka et al, [11], Sharma et al, [14], Harun et al, [17], Thakur et al, [23], Sujatha et al, [24], Frempong & Yanful, [25], Nayak et al, [26], Mohammed et al, [27], Essienubong et al, [28] revealed that the physical and mechanical characteristics of contaminated soils were changed compared to the uncontaminated soils. Thus, assessing the impact of waste on soil engineering properties is an import issue and should be taken into consideration in the evaluation of the stability of landfill systems.…”