Chemical composition of soil and groundwater in areas adjacent to sanitary landfills

Abstract

The present work was carried out in areas adjacent to sanitary landfills and control areas, aiming: I) to quantify nutrients, heavy metals and abiotic variables concentration in soil and groundwater; II) to determine the significant variables set and to schedule the sampled areas by vectors, through principal component analysis; and III) to describe in a spatial gradient (from 0 to 500 m) the variation of these concentrations. Three plots (25x500 m) were located and subdivided in 30 subplots (50x25 m), where soil samples were collected in a central point, at 20 cm of depth, in order to quantify chemical and physical parameters. The concentrations of the studied abiotic variables were higher in the subplots nearby the landfills, reducing the values towards more distant subplots. Average values of the abiotic variables were higher in plots nearby the landfills than in control areas. Aluminum and pH, resulting from the increase in organic matter and oxides nearby the landfills, were the determinant variables for the subplots grouping by vectors.