Seasonal variation of leachate from municipal solid waste landfill of Tripoli–Lebanon (case study)

The failure of the waste management system and the distribution of uncontrolled dumpsites across Lebanon has turned this small state into a source of major environmental concern in the Eastern Mediterranean. The coastline of Lebanon hosts several landfills, such as the Tripoli Municipal Solid Waste Landfill, which are often poorly studied. The situation is particularly concerning because the drainage of their untreated leachate often seeps into the surrounding water systems including the Mediterranean Sea and nearby ricers. In the case of the Tripoli Municipal Solid Waste Landfill, no previous studies have investigated the composition of this leachate and its effect on the surrounding water systems. The aim of this study is to assess the seasonal variation of leachate characteristics in this landfill’s two units and their potential of contamination on the nearby Abou Ali River and Mediterranean Sea. In accord with the Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, 40 leachate quality parameters (19 physicochemical, and 21 metals) were monitored for two years. The results of this study showed the heterogeneous state of the landfill’s body. Leachate quantity and quality heavily depended on weather conditions. The annual fluxes of chemical oxygen demand, chloride, biological oxygen demand, total kjeldahl nitrogen, sulphates, and total phosphorus, were 577 tons, 253 tons, 207 tons, 38 tons, 25 tons, and 7 tons, respectively. The annual fluxes of the Σ21metals achieved 217 tons. The leachate pollution index of Tripoli’s landfill indicates its high contaminating potential on Abou Ali River and Mediterranean Sea.