Impact of the Municipal Solid Waste Typology on Leachate Flow Under Semi-Arid Climate - A Case Study

As recently created, the landfill site of Oujda, Morocco receives an annual flow of municipal solid wastes of 140000 tons. It became clear that the leachate storage ponds were undersized compared to the actually emanating flows. With no adequate treatment, the storage time of leachates in deep and anaerobic ponds increase and produce olfactory nuisances directly affecting the air quality of the nearest agglomerations. The monitoring of leachate flows during a year, showed the daily average production of 126 m(3) (annual cumulative leachate is 46800 m(3)). Thus, highest volumes were recorded during the summer season (4716 m(3) in July 4945 m(3) in August, and 4927 m(3) in September) with a monthly average rate of 3700 m(3). In addition, the monitoring of leachate flows exhibits seasonal variations. Simultaneously, the MSW's typology and moisture content study showed the dominance of organic matter (73%) and high moisture content (63.5%). The results obtained are an essential asset for any decision in order to achieve appropriate leachates treatment with a possibility of recirculation into the landfill cells to enhance removal of their toxic contents.