Solid Waste Management and Its Impacts on Groundwater Quality

Dear Colleagues,

Improper solid waste management is a major source of soil and groundwater contamination worldwide. Leachate generated from municipal, industrial, and hazardous waste disposal sites can mobilize a wide range of contaminants—both organic (e.g., volatile organic compounds, pesticides, hydrocarbons) and inorganic (e.g., salts, heavy metals, nutrients, radionuclides)—into the subsurface. These pollutants may impair the quality of aquifers, threaten ecosystems, and pose serious risks to human health.

Addressing these challenges requires both advanced analytical tools and effective mitigation strategies. Numerical modeling remains an essential approach to predicting groundwater flow and the transport of contaminants in the saturated and unsaturated zones, assessing environmental risks, and designing remediation strategies. Equally important are the application and evaluation of good management practices, engineered barriers, leachate control systems, and other preventive measures that minimize the migration of pollutants from solid waste facilities.

The aim of this Special Issue is to present recent advances in modeling approaches, innovative engineering solutions, and real-world applications to protect groundwater resources from the impacts of solid waste. We particularly welcome contributions that integrate hydrogeological, geochemical, environmental engineering, and policy perspectives.

The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:

• Groundwater flow and contaminant transport modeling from solid waste disposal sites.
• Simulation of leachate generation and migration in the vadose and saturated zones.
• The design, evaluation, and optimization of techniques to prevent or mitigate groundwater contamination (e.g., liners, covers, leachate collection, bioreactors).
• The assessment and modeling of heavy metals, organic pollutants, and NAPLs in waste-affected sites.
• Integrated monitoring–modeling approaches for solid waste impact assessment.
• Case studies of successful management practices and remediation strategies in solid waste facilities.
• Policy and regulatory frameworks that promote the effective protection of groundwater from waste-related pollution.

We invite you to contribute research and case studies that enrich the discussion on this topic and provide solutions to environmental protection.

Prof. Dr. Javier Rodrigo-Ilarri
Prof. Dr. María-Elena Rodrigo-Clavero
Guest Editors

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