Landfill Leachate: Its Nature and Trace Organic Compounds Separated by Gas Chromatography

Abstract: Landfill leachate contains various compounds that originate from waste itself but also from secondary products by decomposition process. The major concern with the leachate quality is the two types of hazardous constituents found in leachate, heavy metals and trace organic compounds, which cause serious environmental pollution if they migrate surrounding soils, geologic formations, and groundwater. In this paper we report the result of preliminary analysis of trace organic compounds in Tunisian landfill leachate using gas chromatography. Generalized procedure for gas chromatographic analysis of waste and leachate is also summarized in Appendix