Simulacion de lixiviacion en basureros activos

Abstract

A method to estimate leachate patterns is presented, considering a waste disposal site life history. Although designed for closed landfill applications, the HELP (Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance) model was used in active waste disposal sites where its output is a good representation of leachate production. The methodology consists in discretizing the site in units which were individually analyzed; results obtained for each unit were combined considering its spatial and chronologic position. Model calibration was carried out with data collected in the Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, waste disposal site, emplaced on a karstic aquifer with unlined bottom which allowed leachate percolation to the subsurface. The model produced leachate flows during the active life of the site matching field observations; that is to say, seasonal leachate flow fluctuations were produced whose magnitude decreases as the site grows dimensionally.