Buletinul Institutului Politehnic din Iași Secția Chimie și Inginerie Chimică ISSN: 2537-2947
ISSN-L: 0254-7104
2025, Volume 71(75), Issue 4 (December), pp. 131 - 143
Development of an Analysis Methodology for the Characterization of
Leachate Samples
DUMITRIŢA NUŢU, “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iaşi,
“Cristofor Simionescu” Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Environmental
Protection, Iaşi, Romania LAURA BULGARIU, “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical
University of Iaşi, “Cristofor Simionescu” Faculty of Chemical Engineering
and Environmental Protection, Iaşi, Romania,
laura.bulgariu@academic.tuiasi.ro
Abstract Landfill leachate (leachate) is a liquid generated during
the storage process of municipal waste. Due to its complex composition
(which often includes highly toxic inorganic and organic compounds),
leachate samples must be detailed characterized to ensure their effective
treatment and environmental protection. The most commonly used indicators
for the characterization of leachate samples are color, temperature, pH,
electrical conductivity (1/R), turbidity, total suspended solids (TSS),
chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonium nitrogen (N-NH4+), chlorides (Cl-),
and heavy metal content. However, the measured values of these indicators
largely depend on the time elapsed between sample collection and their
actual determination. In order to obtain accurate values, this study
presents a methodology for leachate sample analysis, in which the order of
indicator determination was established experimentally. The experimental
studies were conducted using the same leachate sample, and each indicator
was measured periodically over four days. By following such a methodology,
accurate values for the qualitative, physical and chemical indicators
characteristic of the leachate samples can be obtained, which may be useful
in waste management. Keywords: leachate sample, characteristic
indicators, analytical measurements, experimental methodology.