Toxicological evaluation of the chemical oxidation methods for landfill stabilization

As the stabilization criteria for landfill sites, only chemical criteria for the leachate discharges from the landfill sites have been used in Japan and many other countries. Recently, chemical oxidation has been developed as a method for the early-stabilization of landfills. However, by-products that are difficult to detect by chemical analysis can be produced by this method. Therefore, toxicity tests are useful tools for detecting the changes of leachate quality after application of this method. The heat source in the A landfill was analyzed by organic position inquiry technology, and ozone-treated leachate was sprayed back to the heat source in the landfill. Toxicity changes of the leachate after the spray were monitored using Microtox™, ToxScreen-II, and DaphTox tests. The hardly-degradable organic matter was efficiently removed and toxicities of the leachate in the heat source decreased after the application. These toxicity results were significantly related to chemical oxygen demand (COD) changes. Thus, it was concluded that the toxicity tests were effective for monitoring the leachate quality after applying the chemical oxidation method for landfill stabilization, and its incorporation to establish the criteria for early-stabilization of landfill sites needs to be considered.