Influence of the natural oxidation of the leachate organic fraction from a landfill on groundwater quality, Belo Horizonte: Minas Gerais, south-eastern Brazil

The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of the natural degradation of the leachate organic fraction from the Belo Horizonte landfill on groundwater chemical evolution. The work focused on the modifications introduced by redox reactions in the presence of terminal electron acceptors. Twenty-one sampling points distributed along 13 monitoring wells were selected for the analysis of the chemical indicators of interest (TDS, SO ₄ ⁻² , Fe⁺², Ba, pH and Eh). The behaviour of the variables involved in the alteration of the water quality was assessed by the spatial distribution of target parameters, elaboration of redox diagrams and chemical modelling that focused on the determination of mineral saturation indexes. The study showed a trend toward pyrite precipitation, which leads to the removal of chemical species such as divalent iron and sulphur as sulphide from the system. This removal disturbs the chemical equilibrium, typically by moving the reactions to replenish the sulphate concentration present in the groundwater. This process occurs primarily through the dissolution of compounds that have sulphate in their chemical composition, such as barite, suggesting that part of the barium concentration in the subsurface can be of geogenic origin. This study demonstrated the importance of knowing the nature of the geochemical processes in groundwater contaminated by urban solid waste.