Measurement of pH and heavy metals quantification in leachates from the biggest landfill of the metropolitan area of Mexico City

In 2010, the Bordo Poniente landfill received approximately 13 400 td super(-1) of urban solid wastes. This landfill has operated in four phases, at different times, the first phase started operations in 1985. The macrocells built in phases I, II and III do not have a geomembrane, while those of phase IV have this plastic film and are currently the only ones in operation. In this study, the pH and the concentration of Pb, Ni, Cr, Ag, Cd, Hg, and Ba were recorded in the leachates of the four phases of the landfill Bordo Poniente. One and two factor analyzes of variance were obtained applied to the results to determine differences between the cells with and without a geomembrane. The heavy metals concentrations were compared with the maximum levels established in the norm NOM-052-SEMARNAT-2005. The results for the sampling sites recorded indicated that the concentrations of the elements analysed were lower than established by the Mexican official norm. The statistical analyzes showed no significant difference in the pH and the concentration of metals in relation to the presence / absence of a geomembrane.