Influence of Physicochemical and Mineralogical Characteristics of Soils on Groundwater Pollution Potential


	Journal of Environmental Science and Technology
	Year: 2020 \| Volume: 13 \| Issue: 2 \| Page No.: 86-93 DOI: 10.3923/jest.2020.86.93

Influence of Physicochemical and Mineralogical Characteristics of Soils on Groundwater Pollution Potential

Joan Nyika, Ednah K. Onyari

, Megersa Dinka and Shivani Bhardwaj

Abstract: Background and Objective: Soil is an intermediary phase of land filled waste and groundwater and its physicochemical and mineralogical aspects are indicators of possible pollution. The current study assayed these characteristics in soils of Round hill landfill vicinity and correlated them to groundwater pollution. Materials and Methods: Soils were collected from 9 sampling sites of the landfill vicinity and analyzed for various physicochemical and mineralogical features. Physicochemical parameters were analyzed using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance while mineralogical data was presented as spectrum. Results: The findings showed infiltration potential of soil contaminants based on the ionic content and conductivity of topsoils and subsoils. High bulk density values indicated compaction and ability of soils to retain contaminants. High clay content in all soils depicted high surface area, low permeability and high potential of the soils to retain leachate. It was observed that quartz and halloysite were the major mineral phases in all soils. The presence of halloysite in sampled soils confirmed that they had high potential to adsorb leachate. Albite was present in 5 topsoils (L0, L50, L100, East 1 and West 1) but only in one subsoil (West 1). Conclusion: A low potential to pollute groundwater was deduced in the soils from their assayed physicochemical characteristics.

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How to cite this article:

Joan Nyika, Ednah K. Onyari, Megersa Dinka and Shivani Bhardwaj, 2020. Influence of Physicochemical and Mineralogical Characteristics of Soils on Groundwater Pollution Potential. Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 13: 86-93.

DOI: 10.3923/jest.2020.86.93

URL: https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=jest.2020.86.93

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