Ecotoxicity Assessment of Fine Fractions Obtained from Landfill Mining

Abstract

In this study, the ecotoxicological effects posed by bulk of the material obtained from landfill mining, that is, fine fraction (<10 mm), were assessed by performing bioassays tests with the aim of using the data in geoenvironmental applications, such as landfill biocover to control residual methane emissions from old landfills. Attention is mainly focused on the possible interaction of fine fractions with the test organism. The tested eluates of fine fraction exhibited low acute toxicity toward the bacteria Allivibrio fischeri and Escherichia coli, the marine rotifer Brachionus plicatilis, and brine shrimp Artemia salina. The eluates showed slight inhibitory effects on the germination of seeds of lettuce Lactuca sativa L. and timothy Phleum pratense L., and no inhibitory effects on germination of seeds of perennial ryegrass Lolium perenne L. The fine fraction studied in the present study can be characterized as acutely nontoxic or slightly acutely toxic. Correlation analysis revealed moderate positive correlation between lethality of rotifers and soluble content of organic compounds in the fine fraction eluates. In conclusion, the conducted experiments demonstrated that the usage of fine fraction for onsite applications such as landfill biocover may pose minimal environmental consequences, based on the ecotoxicity assessment.