Boron isotopes and rare earth elements in the groundwater of a landfill site

A geochemical assessment of groundwater beneath a municipal solid waste landfill site in Central Italy was carried out using a hydrogeochemical and isotopic approach. The aim of this study was to verify the quality of groundwater using major ions, trace elements and boron isotopes as tracers of contamination due to the presence of the landfill. Results obtained show that Fe, Mn, Cr, Ni and B present high values in groundwater located downgradient from the landfill. With boron isotopes, it is possible to identify whether a contamination source is anthropogenic and/or geogenic. Furthermore, rare earth elements were analysed to identify possible anthropogenic input in groundwater, and the first REE (rare earth element) patterns from the study area were reported.