Long-term groundwater protection efficiency of different types of sanitary landfills: Model description

A new risk assessment method intended for comparing long-term environmental performance of different types of sanitary landfills was customized. Processes occurring within the hydrogeological environment were excluded from modeling, because they can be addressed separately. Only parameters directly related to leachate composition at the bottom of the landfill and leachate losses into the subsoil after landfill closure which can be reliably determined by evaluating already available information from the scientific literature were considered as necessary inputs for quantitative modeling. Once the simulated outcomes for a primary output ‘’fugitive emissions of a reference pollutant into the subsoil’’ are acquired, more complex outputs can be derived, too. Commercially available risk assessment software which operates within an Excel environment was used to fulfill the task. • Uncertainty of data as well as heterogeneity and complexity of landfill systems was considered by attributing the selected input parameters with adequate probability density functions; • Probability density functions attributed to the inputs differ considerably between the antagonistic landfill types; • Risk assessments related outputs were defined as probabilities that an aquifer would be polluted due to landfill derived emissions into the subsoil.