Assessing Leachate Migration and Gas Emissions in Landfill Sites Using Seismic and Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) Methods

Abstract

Other environmental concerns include the permeation of non-sanitary fill-related leachate or gas. This paper will validate these concerns using seismic and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) techniques. We collect data at different depths of the dump sites using survey methods such as seismic and electrical resistivity tomography. We implemented the seismic reflection approach for the comprehensive seismic wave velocity studies and applied the ERT method to determine the electrical resistivity. We also used the chemical analysis laboratory to quantify the amount of leachate present in the water samples. The data analysis yielded several significant conclusions. At a depth of 75 meters, electrical resistivity fell from 120.123 Ohm-m to 5 meters. P-wave velocity dropped throughout the same depth range, from 1500.123 m/s to 1150.456 m/s. The leachate conductivity increased from 1.234 mS/cm to 4.234 mS/cm, suggesting that the deeper depths had higher pollutant levels. We observed a linear increase in methane concentrations with water depth, rising from 10.123 ppm to 24.456 ppm. The joint use of seismic and ERT was necessary because, while seismic studies aid in understanding the subsurface conditions of a landfill and their temporal changes, only seismic and ERT can evaluate properties such as soil properties, leachate dispersion, and methane emissions. These results improve our knowledge of landfill dynamics and open the door to more practical management approaches, adding to the corpus of existing information.