Emmanuel Emem-Obong Agbenyeku

Potential Impacts of Leachate From Waste Mixed With CCA-Treated Wood Destined to Landfills

The best option considered in waste management as against landfilling is recycling. However, landfilling is predominantly the method of waste disposal in South Africa and in developing countries. South Africa disposes 41,000 tons of solid waste daily which includes chunks of construction and demolition (C&D) debris, municipal solid waste (MSW) and wood waste. Leachate generation and percolation is expected in these landfills as rain and/or runoffs enter the waste body. Arsenic, copper and chromium leach from Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA)-treated wood when in contact with water. As such, laboratory tests using a bespoke device were carried out to explore the environmental risk of different disposal situations in monofills and/or open dumps. The study therefore, presents the results for the wood waste and revealed that CCA-treated wood formed hazardous concentration levels of chromium and arsenic which if not properly contained in real life scenarios, could have consequential contamination impacts on human and environment health.