Application of electrical resistivity measurement for monitoring landfills in operation

Abstract

Electrical resistivity of waste was found to decrease exponentially with increasing temperature. Lower viscosity of pore water at higher temperatures was found to enhance the electrolytic conduction within the pore water of waste materials In addition, grid-net measurement system was found to have high applicability for detecting leachate leakage through 2-D spatial monitoring of electrical conductivity. Pilot scale field study showed that the system accurately detects leachate release at more than a single location, which can be differentiated from locations of tap-water release.