Groundwater Risk Assessment of a Rock Cave Type Landfill with Nontraditional Solid Waste

Rock cave landfill has the characteristics of superior geological conditions and strong risk controllability. In this study, taking the first rock cave type nontraditional solid waste landfill in a uranium mine in China as an example, combined with the hydrogeological conditions and engineering characteristics of the mining area, the solute transport model of underground water in a rock cave type nontraditional solid waste landfill was constructed, and the characteristic pollutants were identified, and the pollution migration law of total chromium in the impervious barrier with damaged holes was simulated and characterized. The results show that the leakage of pollutants will affect the groundwater environment when the impervious barrier of the landfill is damaged. The pollution plume exceeding the standard is mainly concentrated in the groundwater aquifer within the landfill area, which is less likely to spread to the off-site environment. The vertical high concentration pollution plume is primarily distributed in the landfill layer. According to the characteristics of rock cave landfills, it is suggested that hazardous solid waste should be separated from surrounding rock. The research results can provide technical guidance for groundwater environment prediction and prevention measures for the same type of project.

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