Chlorofluorocarbons as tracers of landfill leachate in surface and groundwater

The widespread use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as refrigerants, aerosols and foam insulation gases has led to their ubiquitous presence in modern landfills. Landfill leachates may have concentrations of CFC11, CFC12 and CFC113 thousands of times higher than in uncontaminated surface and groundwate...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Quarterly journal of engineering geology and hydrogeology 2012-02, Vol.45 (1), p.61-70
Main Authors: Foley, A. E, Atkinson, T. C, Zhao, Y
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chlorofluorocarbons
degradation
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics
Engineering geology
England
Environmental geology
Europe
Exact sciences and technology
Foams
Great Britain
ground water
Groundwater
halogenated hydrocarbons
Indicators
Landfills
leachate
monitoring
organic compounds
physicochemical properties
pollutants
pollution
prediction
Refrigerants
sampling
Scarborough England
Seamer Carr Landfill
site exploration
Surface water
Tracers
United Kingdom
waste disposal
water quality
Western Europe
Yorkshire England
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Summary:The widespread use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as refrigerants, aerosols and foam insulation gases has led to their ubiquitous presence in modern landfills. Landfill leachates may have concentrations of CFC11, CFC12 and CFC113 thousands of times higher than in uncontaminated surface and groundwaters. Such great disparity offers a means of using CFCs as tracers of environmental contamination by landfill leachate. The threshold at which diluted leachate can be detected is around 0.1-1%, compared with 10-50% for conventional indicators such as COD, Cl- or NH4+. A single, systematic survey may establish the extent and pattern of a leachate plume, whereas conventional indicators must rely on monitoring continued over many years to establish trends rising above background. This paper presents results from just such a survey conducted at a landfill site in Yorkshire, England. There were clear impacts on surface water courses and shallow groundwater, whereas an upward hydraulic gradient protected deeper groundwater beneath the site. Selective degradation of CFC11 was observed in groundwaters.
ISSN:1470-9236
2041-4803
DOI:10.1144/1470-9236/10-044