55 xenobiotic organic compounds in Tripoli landfill-Lebanon leachate and their fluxes to the Abou Ali River and Mediterranean Sea

Pollution generated from landfill solid wastes constitute one of the major threat to the environment. The landfill leachate contains various toxic pollutants, making it the most dangerous issue of the landfills. Monitoring the xenobiotic organic concentrations in landfill leachate is an important step to evaluate the environmental impacts. This work aims to characterize the seasonal variation of 55 xenobiotic organic compounds including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), phthalic acid esters (PAEs) and bisphenols (BPs) in the leachate from municipal solid waste landfill of Tripoli, Lebanon. And also, the quantity of the pollutant's flux to the Abou Ali River and the Mediterranean Sea nearby has been estimated. The organic pollutants were extracted by using the solid-phase extraction and quantified by using GC-MS/MS. The results showed high level of PAEs, BPs, PCBs, and PAHs in the leachate samples. The fluxes of pollutants to the Abou Ali River and Mediterranean Sea have been detected at 0.23 kg, 0.01 kg, 116.85 kg, 15.93 kg, and 7.58 kg for Sigma(16)PAHs, Sigma(28)PCBs, Sigma(6)PAEs, Sigma(4)BPs, and 4-NP respectively.

Automated summary

Pollution generated from landfill solid wastes is a significant threat to the environment. Landfill leachate, containing various toxic pollutants, poses the most dangerous issue in landfills. This study evaluates the seasonal variation of xenobiotic organic compounds in the leachate from a municipal landfill in Tripoli, Lebanon and estimates the flux of pollutants to nearby bodies of water. High levels of PAEs, BPs, PCBs, and PAHs were found in the leachate samples. The fluxes of pollutants to the Abou Ali River and Mediterranean Sea were determined.