Geochemistry of the Chiltepec sanitary landfill, Puebla, Mexico

Abstract

The Chiltepec sanitary landfill receives daily between 800-1100 metric tons of domestic waste from the City of Puebla, which is underlain by basalts intercalated with limestones. The landfill started operating at the end of 1995. Selected parameters sampled from the leachate are monitored on a quarterly basis in accordance with Mexican environmental laws. The temporal evolution between the two sampling periods, May and November 1996, shows dramatic increases in the parameters that are being monitored. The specific conductance has tripled; the aluminum concentration has increased eleven times; total chrome, zinc and nickel concentrations increased three, one-half, and five times, respectively. Geochemical modeling using water chemistry from a nearby well shows that most of the metals are not mobile in this geologic environment.