PHOSPHORUS RELEASE FROM MUNICIPAL REFUSE DISPOSED OF IN DIFFERENT LANDFILLS

In order to understand the role of phosphorus leached from solid waste landfills and to assess potential phosphorus release to surface and g roundwater, the concentrations of various forms of phosphorus were det ermined in solid waste samples and in soils obtained directly from dri lling at increasing depth in two. landfills. The results showed that t he amount of inorganic phosphorus was always higher than the amount of organic phosphorus. Different concentrations of the various forms of phosphorus from one landfill to another were observed, probably due to the types of waste and soil, and related to the different operating p rocedures. The trend however was the same: decreasing values with dept h and very low concentrations, similar to those of the soil control sa mples, in soils beneath the landfill site.