Remediation technology optimization for groundwater contamination of municipal solid waste landfill

Comprehensively considering local socio-economic conditions, groundwater vulnerability and pollutant characteristics and other factors, and learning from environmental remediation experience of domestic and foreign groundwater pollution sites, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method was used to establish the optimization index system of remediation technologies. Then a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) model was adopted to sort the groundwater pollution remediation technologies, and establish a screening model of groundwater pollution remediation technologies. For this purpose, an applied research on a simple landfill site in Hubei Province was carried out. The results show that extraction treatment and in-situ microbial remediation technologies are more practical among the five alternative technologies of groundwater remediation applicable to this landfill site, including technologies of monitored natural attenuation, permeable reactive barriers (PRBs), multi-phase extraction (MPE), pump-and-treat systems (P & T) and in-situ microbial remediation. Based on the specific site conditions, groundwater pollution control requirements and distribution of nearby receptors of this landfill site, the optimal remediation scheme is determined as follows: P&T and in-situ microbial remediation technology should both apply to areas with risk of high pollution while the monitored natural attenuation technology should be adopted for areas with risk of low pollution.