•  
  •  
 

Authors

Publication Date

2006

Keywords

2-D Resistivity imaging, solid waste, disposal sites, leachate plume

Abstract

Municipal solid waste disposal sites can be sources of groundwater contamination and the contamination problems are more likely to occur in humid areas, where the moisture available exceeds the ability of the waste pile absorb water. In tropical country like Malaysia which is characterized by high rainfall, the subsurface contamination problems are expected to occur. Seriousness of the pollution problem is still unknown and specific detailed study is generally needed. Two dimensional geoelectrical imaging has frequently been used in the subsurface pollution studies. The method maps the distribution of resistivity of subsurface materials. The resistivity image provides general information on subsurface stratification of buried waste and contaminated soil, as well the depth to the bedrock below the lines of traverse. Underground soil or water that has been contaminated by leachate usually has a significantly lower resistivity value. This paper discusses the results of the 2-D resistivity imaging which were conducted to identify and delineate the extent of contaminated soil and leachate plumes, as well as to assess the capability of the 2-D resistivity imaging as a pre-characterization tool for tracing the properties of disposed waste and its severity underneath a capped landfill sites. The imaging method was used in this study to map the contaminated subsurface soil and ground water at three municipal solid waste disposal sites namely Ampar Tenang (AT) open-tipping site, Bukit Kemuning (BK) capped landfill, and Taiping landfill (TL) where a total of twenty two 2-D resistivity lines were surveyed. The surveys were conducted using ABEM SAS1000 resistivity meter and LUND Automatic imaging system and the measured resistivity profiles were interpreted using 2-D resistivity inversion programme (RES2DINV). Generally the results of the measured resistivity values obtained from the three sites define the contaminated leachate plumes as electrically conductive anomalies of relatively low resistivity value less than 10 ohm-m.

Share

COinS