The Application of Geophysical Techniques in Tracking Leachate Plumes Migration in a Typical Cemetery within the Sandy formation in Benin City, Nigeria

Authors

  • Idehen Osabuohien College of Education, Ekiadolor-Benin, Nigeria
  • Alile Owens Monday University of Benin, Nigeria.
  • Airen O. John University of Benin, Nigeria.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/jgr.v2i1.1970

Abstract

The survey aim is to track leachate plumes within the sandy formation which is below the surface laterite layer. It investigates the presence andmigration of leachate plumes in the sandy region in a typical cemetery(Third Cemetery), in Benin City, Nigeria. The research engaged Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES), 2-Dimensional computation of migrationin both the vertical and horizontal directions. The electrical resistivitydata collected in parallel equidistant lines was processed to obtain geoelectric models using Res2dinv. The leachate plumes in the cemeterymigrate vertically and horizontally at different rates. The maximum andminimum rates of vertical migration are 4.1 and 0.2 cm/day respectively,while the maximum and minimum rates of horizontal migration are 32.8and 1.7 cm/day respectively. Volumetric analysis of the plume zonesindicates that of the 75,231m3 of the subsurface imaged, 6,322 m3 is thezone contaminated by leachate plume, that is, 8.4 % of the earth volumeinvestigated contained leachate plume. The research also showed thatrepeated ERT surveys can track movement of leachate plume emanatingfrom decomposed dead bodies over time in active cemetery. The averagetravel time for a leachate plume to transverse a vertical distance of 6.6 min coarse sand is 366.7 days at constant migration speed of 1.8 cm/day.

Keywords:

Geophysical, Tracking, Leachate, Migration, Cemetery

References

[1] Idehen, O. Time Lapse Geoforensic Investigation of Leachate Plume Migration from Active Cemetery in Benin City, Nigeria.Ph.D Thesis, University of Benin, 2018.

[2] Fisher, G. J., Croukamp, L.. Ground Water Contamination and its Consequences, Resulting from the Indiscriminate Placing of Cemeteries in the Third World Context. Conference Africa Needs Groundwater. University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg,South Africa, 1993.

[3] DOC. Cemeteries, Burials and the Water Environment;A good practice guide for applicants and planning authorities when planning cemetery developments or extensions. Practice guide. Version 1.1.NIEA Natural Heritage Division, Belfast BT7 2JA,2016.

[4] Migliorini, R. B.. Cemeteries as source of pollution in aquifers.Study of the Vila Formosa cemetery in the sedimentary basin of São Paulo. MSc Dissertation,Instituto de Geociências, Universidade de São Paulo,São Paulo, 1994: 74.

[5] Formanek, P. A.. An assessment of groundwater contamination at cemetery sites method and case study.MSc. Dissertation, Queen's University Kingston, Ontario, Canada, 1997, 242: 635.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10745-014-9665-5

[6] Ucisik, A. S., Rushbrook, P.. The impact of cemeteries on the environment and public health - an introduction briefing. WHO, Regional Office for Europe,World Health Organization. Rept.EUR/ICP/EHNA 01 04 01 (A), 1998: 1-11.

[7] Young, C. P., Blackmore, K. M., Leavens, A., Reynolds, P. J.. Pollution Potential of Cemeteries.Environment Agency England and Wales, 2002.

[8] Dent, B. B.. Cemetery decay product profiles: two cases in Australian, unconsolidated, sandy aquifers,understanding Planet Earth. Searching for a Sustainable Future. 15th Australian Geological Convention,Abstracts, Sydney, 2000, 3-7: 130.

[9] Hart A.. Ammonia shadow of my former self: a review of potential groundwater chemical pollution from cemeteries. Land Contamination & Reclamation, 2005, 13(3): 239-245.

[10] Buckley, C.. Graveyards and Groundwater.International Association of Hydrogeologist Irish Group,2012.

[11] Fineza, A. G., Marques, E. A. G., Bastos, R. K. X.,Betim, L. S.. Impacts on the groundwater quality within a cemetery area in Southeast Brazil.Soils and Rocks, São Paulo, 2014, 37(2): 161-169.

[12] Jonker, C., Olivier, J.. Mineral Contamination from Cemetery Soils: Case Study of Zandfontein Cemetery, South Africa. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health,2012, 9: 511-520.DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph9020511

[13] Spongberg, A. L., Becks, P.. Inorganic Soil Contamination from Cemetery Leachate. Water, Air,and Soil Pollution, 2000, 117: 313-327.

[14] Katz, S. A., Salem, H.. Chemistry and toxicology of building timbers pressure-treated with chromated copper arsenate: a review. J. Appl. Toxicol., 2005,25: 1-7.

[15] Huang, S. L., Yin, C. Y., Yap, S. Y.. Particle size and metals concentrations of dust from a paint manufacturing plant. J. Hazard. Mater., 2010, 174: 839-842.

[16] Zychowski, J., Lach, J., Kolber, M.. Physico-chemical features of groundwaters on cemeteries of south-eastern Poland, in Burchard, J. (ed.), State and anthropogenic changes of water quality in Poland,2000, 1: 261-269.

[17] Alfoldi, L., Croukamp, L.. Problems and biological treatment, state of the art report. Watscitech,1988,20(3): 1-131.

[18] Ikhuoria, I. A.. Urban land use patterns in traditional Nigeria City: A case study of Benin City.Land use policy, Great Britain, 1987, 4(1): 62-75.

[19] Ikhile, C. I., Oloriode, D. O.. Impact of climate change on underground-water resources development in Benin-Owena River basin, Edo State, Nigeria:case study. European Journal of Scientific Research,2011, 63(2): 272 - 278.

[20] Ibhadode, C. A. E., Dirius, A. R., Akhimien. Adequacy or otherwise of cemetery space for sustainable human body disposal in Benin City, Nigeria. Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies &Management,2017, 10(5): 566 - 571.

[21] Short K., Stauble A. J.. Outline of the Geology of Niger Delta. Am Assoc Petroleum Geologists Bull,1967, 51: 761.

[22] Idehen, O., Ezenwa, IM.. Influence of Third Cemetery Location on the Quality of Domestic and Groundwater Resources in Benin City, Nigeria. Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management. 2019, 23(1): 05-11, ISSN: 1119-8362.DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/jasem.v23i1.1

[23] Loke, M. H..Tutorial: 2-D and 3-Delectrical imaging surveys, 2004. Available at:www.geotomosoft.com

[24] Anthony Ravindran, A. I., Mohd. Abdul Kadar Prabhu H.. Groundwater Exploration Study using Wenner-Schlumberger Electrode Array through W-4 2D Resistivity Imaging Systems at Mahapallipuram,Chennai, Tamilanadu, India. Research Journalof Recent Sciences, 2012, 1(11): 36-40.

[25] Djebbar, T., Erle C., Donaldson. Petrophysics : theory and practice of measuring reservoir rock and fluid transport Properties, 2004.

[26] . Idehen O.. Volumetric Analysis of 3-D Resistivity Distribution of Leachate Plume in Third Cemetery,Benin, South-South, Nigeria. Journal of Advances in Physics. 2020, 17: 32-40. ISSN: 2347 -3487.DOI: https://doi.org/10.24297/jap.v17i.8486

Downloads

How to Cite

Osabuohien, I., Monday, A. O., & John, A. O. (2020). The Application of Geophysical Techniques in Tracking Leachate Plumes Migration in a Typical Cemetery within the Sandy formation in Benin City, Nigeria. Journal of Geological Research, 2(1), 20–25. https://doi.org/10.30564/jgr.v2i1.1970

Issue

Vol. 2 , Iss. 1 (January 2020)

Article Type

Articles

License

Copyright © 2020 Idehen Osabuohien, Alile Owens Monday, Airen O. John

Creative Commons License

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.

Copyright and Licensing

The authors shall retain the copyright of their work but allow the Publisher to publish, copy, distribute, and convey the work.

Journal of Geological Research publishes accepted manuscripts under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). Authors who submit their papers for publication by Journal of Geological Research agree to have the CC BY-NC 4.0 license applied to their work, and that anyone is allowed to reuse the article or part of it free of charge for non-commercial use. As long as you follow the license terms and original source is properly cited, anyone may copy, redistribute the material in any medium or format, remix, transform, and build upon the material.

License Policy for Reuse of Third-Party Materials

If a manuscript submitted to the journal contains the materials which are held in copyright by a third-party, authors are responsible for obtaining permissions from the copyright holder to reuse or republish any previously published figures, illustrations, charts, tables, photographs, and text excerpts, etc. When submitting a manuscript, official written proof of permission must be provided and clearly stated in the cover letter.
The editorial office of the journal has the right to reject/retract articles that reuse third-party materials without permission.

Journal Policies on Data Sharing

We encourage authors to share articles published in our journal to other data platforms, but only if it is noted that it has been published in this journal.