Recovery of metals from waste printed circuit boards by supercritical water pre-treatment combined with acid leaching process

Waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) contain a large number of metals such as Cu, Sn, Pb, Cd, Cr, Zn, and Mn. In this work, an efficient and environmentally friendly process for metals recovery from waste PCBs by supercritical water (SCW) pre-treatment combined with acid leaching was developed. In the proposed process, waste PCBs were pre-treated by SCW, then the separated solid phase product with concentrated metals was subjected to an acid leaching process for metals recovery. The effect of SCW pre-treatment on the recovery of different metals from waste PCBs was investigated. Two methods of SCW pre-treatment were studied: supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) and supercritical water depolymerization (SCWD). Experimental results indicated that SCWO and SCWD pre-treatment had significant effect on the recovery of different metals. SCWO pre-treatment was highly efficient for enhancing the recovery of Cu and Pb, and the recovery efficiency increased significantly with increasing pre-treatment temperature. The recovery efficiency of Cu and Pb for SCWO pre-treatment at 420 °C was 99.8% and 80%, respectively, whereas most of the Sn and Cr were immobilized in the residue. The recovery of all studied metals was enhanced by SCWD pre-treatment and increased along with pre-treatment temperature. Up to 90% of Sn, Zn, Cr, Cd, and Mn could be recovered for SCWD pre-treatment at 440 °C.     

Water washing effects on metals emission reduction during municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) fly ash melting process

This study investigated that water washing effects on the metals emission reduction in melting of municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) fly ash. Experimental conditions were conducted at liquid-to-solid (L/S) ratio 10, 20, and 100 for water-washing process and its subsequent melting treatment at 1450 °C for 2 h. The simple water-washing process as a pre-treatment for MSWI fly ash can remove most of the chlorides, leachable salts, and amphoteric heavy metals from the MSWI fly ash, resulting in the washed ash having lowered chlorine content. MSWI fly ashes washed by L/S ratio 10 and above that were melted at 1450 °C produced slag containing relatively high vitrificaton ratio of Cu and Pb. Besides, the vitrification ratios of Na, K, Ca, and Mg in washed MSWI fly ash were also higher than that of MSWI fly ash. The results indicated that washed MSWI fly ash can reduce the emission of metallic chlorides during its subsequent melting treatment.     

Stabilization of heavy metals in MSWI fly ash using silica fume

The objective of this work was to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of silica fume on stabilizing heavy metals in municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash. In addition to compressive strength measurements, hydrated pastes were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal-analyses (DTA/TG), and MAS NMR (²⁷Al and ²⁹Si) techniques. It was found that silica fume additions could effectively reduce the leaching of toxic heavy metals. At the addition of 20% silica fume, leaching concentrations for Cu, Pb and Zn of the hydrated paste cured for 7 days decreased from 0.32 mg/L to 0.05 mg/L, 40.99 mg/L to 4.40 mg/L, and 6.96 mg/L to 0.21 mg/L compared with the MSWI fly ash. After curing for 135 days, Cd and Pb in the leachates were not detected, while Cu and Zn concentrations decreased to 0.02 mg/L and 0.03 mg/L. The speciation of Pb and Cd by the modified version of the European Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) extractions showed that these metals converted into more stable state in hydrated pastes of MSWI fly ash in the presence of silica fume. Although exchangeable and weak-acid soluble fractions of Cu and Zn increased with hydration time, silica fume addition of 10% can satisfy the requirement of detoxification for heavy metals investigated in terms of the identification standard of hazardous waste of China.     

Effect of nine years of animal waste deposition on profile distribution of heavy metals in Abeokuta,south-western Nigeria and its implication for environmental quality

Uncontrolled deposition of waste from animal farms is a common practice in south-western Nigeria, and the presence of heavy metals in soil constitutes environmental and health hazards by polluting the soil, ground water, adjoining streams and rivers. The study investigated the profile distribution of Mn, Pb, Cd, Zn, Fe, Cu, Ni and Cr in some tropical Alfisols in south-western Nigeria after nine years disposal of animal wastes. The amount of these metals in the soil horizons was high enough to cause health and phytotoxic risks. All the metals except Zn and Cr increased down the profile, while Mn, Pb, Cd, Fe, Cu and Ni accumulated at 80–120 cm depth. The increment of these metals at this depth over the top soil were 26%, 143%, 72%, 47%, 328% for Mn, Pb, Cd, Cu and Ni, respectively. It thus, shows their mobility and the possibility of polluting ground water. The Mn content at the poultry and cattle waste sites increased by 127% and 25%, respectively over the control, while that of cattle and swine dump site for Cd content were 9.82 and 15.63 mg kg^?1, respectively. Lead content also increased by 8.52 and 5.25 mg kg^?1, respectively.There was the accumulation of Zn and Cu at the swine dump site while the cattle dump site had the highest amounts of nickel and chromium. The least amount of Fe was recorded at the swine waste dump site. The reduction in organic matter with depths together with the reduced pH might have favored the mobility of the metals. The ranking of pollution among the sites was poultry > swine > cattle > sheep and could be due to the type of ration fed, the vaccination programmes, sanitation programmes and other management practices.     

Time domain reflectometry measured moisture content of sewage sludge compost across temperatures

Time domain reflectometry (TDR) is a prospective measurement technology for moisture content of sewage sludge composting material; however, a significant dependence upon temperature has been observed. The objective of this study was to assess the impacts of temperature upon moisture content measurement and determine if TDR could be used to monitor moisture content in sewage sludge compost across a range of temperatures. We also investigated the combined effects of temperature and conductivity on moisture content measurement. The results revealed that the moisture content of composting material could be determined by TDR using coated probes, even when the measured material had a moisture content of 0.581 cm³ cm^?3, temperature of 70 °C and conductivity of 4.32 mS cm^?1. TDR probes were calibrated as a function of dielectric properties that included temperature effects. When the bulk temperature varied from 20 °C to 70 °C, composting material with 0.10–0.70 cm³ cm^?3 moisture content could be measured by TDR using coated probes, and calibrations based on different temperatures minimized the errors.     

Heavy metals in source-separated compost and digestates

The production of compost and digestate from source-separated organic residues is well established in Europe. However, these products may be a source of pollutants when applied to soils. In order to assess this issue, composts, solid and liquid digestates from Switzerland were analyzed for heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) addressing factors which may influence the concentration levels: the treatment process, the composition, origin, particle size and impurity content of input materials, the season of input materials collection or the degree of organic matter degradation.Composts (n = 81) showed mean contents being at 60% or less of the legal threshold values. Solid digestates (n = 20) had 20–50% lower values for Cd, Co, Pb and Zn but similar values for Cr, Cu and Ni. Liquid digestates (n = 5) exhibited mean concentrations which were approximately twice the values measured in compost for most elements. Statistical analyses did not reveal clear relationships between influencing factors and heavy metal contents. This suggests that the contamination was rather driven by factors not addressed in the present study.According to mass balance calculations related to Switzerland, the annual loads to agricultural soils resulting from the application of compost and digestates ranged between 2% (Cd) and 22% (Pb) of total heavy metal loads. At regional scale, composts and digestates are therefore minor sources of pollution compared to manure (Co, Cu, Ni, Zn), mineral fertilizer (Cd, Cr) and aerial deposition (Pb). However, for individual fields, fertilization with compost or digestates results in higher heavy metal loads than application of equivalent nutrient inputs through manure or mineral fertilizer.     

Sulfur recirculation for increased electricity production in Waste-to-Energy plants

Sulfur recirculation is a new technology for reducing boiler corrosion and dioxin formation. It was demonstrated in full-scale tests at a Waste to Energy plant in Göteborg (Sweden) during nearly two months of operation. Sulfur was recirculated as sulfuric acid from the flue gas cleaning back to the boiler, thus creating a sulfur loop.The new technology was evaluated by extensive measurement campaigns during operation under normal conditions (reference case) and operation with sulfur recirculation. The chlorine content of both fly ash and boiler ash decreased and the sulfur content increased during the sulfur recirculation tests. The deposit growth and the particle concentration decreased with sulfur recirculation and the dioxin concentration (I-TEQ) of the flue gas was reduced by approximately 25%. Sulfuric acid dew point measurements showed that the sulfuric acid dosage did not lead to elevated SO₃ concentrations, which may otherwise induce low temperature corrosion.In the sulfur recirculation corrosion probe exposures, the corrosion rate decreased for all tested materials (16Mo3, Sanicro 28 and Inconel 625) and material temperatures (450 °C and 525 °C) compared to the reference exposure. The corrosion rates were reduced by 60–90%. Sulfur recirculation prevented the formation of transition metal chlorides at the metal/oxide interface, formation of chromate and reduced the presence of zinc in the corrosion products. Furthermore, measured corrosion rates at 525 °C with sulfur recirculation in operation were similar or lower compared to those measured at 450 °C material temperature in reference conditions, which corresponds to normal operation at normal steam temperatures. This implies that sulfur recirculation allows for higher steam data and electricity production without increasing corrosion.     

The influence of pH on the leaching behaviour of inorganic components from municipal solid waste APC residues

The influence of pH on the leaching behaviour of air pollution control (APC) residues produced in municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) is addressed in this study. The residue is considered hazardous waste, and in accordance with their chemical properties, the leaching of contaminants into the environment is the main concern. Several leaching tests can be used for research studies or regulatory purposes, where a wide variety of conditions may be tested. Our work deals mainly with the leaching behaviour of toxic heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Zn, Cr, Ni, Cu) and inorganics associated with soluble salts (Na, K, Ca, Cl). The main goal is to obtain an overview of the leachability of APC residues produced in a Portuguese MSWI process. Among the different variables that may have influence on the leaching behaviour, pH of the leachant solution is the most important one, and was evaluated through pH static tests. The acid neutralization capacity (ANC) of the residue was also determined, which is in the range of 6.2–6.8 meq g^?1 (for pH = 7) and 10.1–11.6 meq g^?1 (for pH = 4). The analysis of the leaching behaviour is particularly important when the leaching is solubility controlled. The amphoteric behaviour of some elements was observed, namely for Pb and Zn, which is characterized through high solubilization at low and high pH and moderate or low solubility at neutral or moderate high pH. The solubility curves for Pb, Cd, Zn, Cr, Ni and Cu as a function of pH were obtained, which are very useful for predicting the leaching behaviour in different scenarios. The solubility of K and Na reveals to be nearly independent of the solution pH and the released amount is mainly availability-controlled. Moreover, the pH static test showed that Cl^? is the most pH-independent species. The APC residue turns out to be a hazardous waste because of the high leaching of lead and chloride. On the other hand, leaching of elements like cadmium, nickel and copper is limited by the high pH of the residue, and as long as the waste keeps its ANC, the risk of mobilization of these elements is low.     

Effect of temperature on VFA’s and biogas production in anaerobic solubilization of food waste

The effectiveness of methane fermentation treatment used in food waste processing is currently limited by solubilization and acidogenesis. In efforts to improve the treatment process, this study examined the effects of temperature on solubilization and acidogenesis. The solubilization rate of food waste, which was based on suspended solid removal, was 47.5%, 62.2%, 70.0%, 72.7%, 56.1% and 45.9% at 15 °C, 25 °C, 35 °C, 45 °C, 55 °C and 65 °C, respectively. Solubilization rate was accelerated from the middle to late experimental periods under mesophilic (35 °C and 45 °C) conditions. In contrast, overall solubilization rate was significantly lower under thermophilic (55 °C and 65 °C) conditions than under mesophilic conditions, although solubilization occurred rapidly in the early experimental period. The production of biogas was high under mesophilic conditions of 35 °C and 45 °C, at 64.7 and 62.7 mL/g-VS, respectively, while it was scarce under thermophilic conditions. Solubilization of food waste was accelerated under both mesophilic and thermophilic conditions; however, solubilization rate was observed to be particularly high under mesophilic conditions, and a shortening of the hydraulic retention time is expected under thermophilic conditions.     

Development of lightweight aggregate from dry sewage sludge and coal ash

In this study, dry sewage sludge (DSS) as the principal material was blended with coal ash (CA) to produce lightweight aggregate. The effects of different raw material compositions and sintering temperatures on the aggregate properties were then evaluated. In addition, an environmental assessment of the lightweight aggregate generated was conducted by analyzing the fixed rate of heavy metals in the aggregate, as well as their leaching behavior. The results indicated that using DSS enhanced the pyrolysis–volatilization reaction due to its high organic matter content, and decreased the bulk density and sintering temperature. However, the sintered products of un-amended DSS were porous and loose due to the formation of large pores during sintering. Adding CA improved the sintering temperature while effectively decreasing the pore size and increasing the compressive strength of the product. Furthermore, the sintering temperature and the proportion of CA were found to be the primary factors affecting the properties of the sintered products, and the addition of 18–25% of CA coupled with sintering at 1100 °C for 30 min produced the highest quality lightweight aggregates. In addition, heavy metals were fixed inside products generated under these conditions and the As, Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, Cu, and Zn concentrations of the leachate were found to be within the limits of China’s regulatory requirements.     

Effects of thermobarical pretreatment of cattle waste as feedstock for anaerobic digestion

Lab-scale experiments were conducted to assess the impact of thermobarical treatment of cattle waste on anaerobic digestion. Treatment was at temperatures of 140–220 °C in 20 K steps for a 5-min duration. Methane yields could be increased by up to 58% at a treatment temperature of 180 °C. At 220 °C the abundance of inhibitors and other non-digestible substances led to lower methane yields than those obtained from untreated material. In an extended analysis it could be demonstrated that there is a functional correlation between the methane yields after 30 days and the formation rate and methane yield in the acceleration phase. It could be proved in a regression of these correlation values that the optimum treatment temperature is 164 °C and that the minimum treatment temperature should be above 115 °C.     

Leaching behavior of copper from waste printed circuit boards with Brønsted acidic ionic liquid

In this work, a Brønsted acidic ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium hydrogen sulfate ([bmim]HSO₄), was used to leach copper from waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs, mounted with electronic components) for the first time, and the leaching behavior of copper was discussed in detail. The results showed that after the pre-treatment, the metal distributions were different with the particle size: Cu, Zn and Al increased with the increasing particle size; while Ni, Sn and Pb were in the contrary. And the particle size has significant influence on copper leaching rate. Copper leaching rate was higher than 99%, almost 100%, when 1 g WPCBs powder was leached under the optimum conditions: particle size of 0.1–0.25 mm, 25 mL 80% (v/v) ionic liquid, 10 mL 30% hydrogen peroxide, solid/liquid ratio of 1/25, 70 °C and 2 h. Copper leaching by [bmim]HSO₄ can be modeled with the shrinking core model, controlled by diffusion through a solid product layer, and the kinetic apparent activation energy has been calculated to be 25.36 kJ/mol.     

Tar-free fuel gas production from high temperature pyrolysis of sewage sludge

Pyrolysis of sewage sludge was studied in a free-fall reactor at 1000–1400 °C. The results showed that the volatile matter in the sludge could be completely released to gaseous product at 1300 °C. The high temperature was in favor of H₂ and CO in the produced gas. However, the low heating value (LHV) of the gas decreased from 15.68 MJ/N m³ to 9.10 MJ/N m³ with temperature increasing from 1000 °C to 1400 °C. The obtained residual solid was characterized by high ash content. The energy balance indicated that the most heating value in the sludge was in the gaseous product.     

Characterization of products obtained from pyrolysis and steam gasification of wood waste,RDF, and RPF

Pyrolysis and steam gasification of woody biomass chip (WBC) obtained from construction and demolition wastes, refuse-derived fuel (RDF), and refuse paper and plastic fuel (RPF) were performed at various temperatures using a lab-scale instrument. The gas, liquid, and solid products were examined to determine their generation amounts, properties, and the carbon balance between raw material and products.The amount of product gas and its hydrogen concentration showed a considerable difference depending on pyrolysis and steam gasification at higher temperature. The reaction of steam and solid product, char, contributed to an increase in gas amount and hydrogen concentration. The amount of liquid products generated greatly depended on temperature rather than pyrolysis or steam gasification. The compositions of liquid product varied relying on raw materials used at 500 °C but the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons became the major compounds at 900 °C irrespective of the raw materials used. Almost fixed carbon (FC) of raw materials remained as solid products under pyrolysis condition whereas FC started to decompose at 700 °C under steam gasification condition.For WBC, both char utilization by pyrolysis at low temperature (500 °C) and syngas recovery by steam gasification at higher temperature (900 °C) might be practical options. From the results of carbon balance of RDF and RPF, it was confirmed that the carbon conversion to liquid products conspicuously increased as the amount of plastic increased in the raw material. To recover feedstock from RPF, pyrolysis for oil recovery at low temperature (500 °C) might be one of viable options. Steam gasification at 900 °C could be an option but the method of tar reforming (e.g. catalyst utilization) should be considered.     

Effect of microwave irradiation on anaerobic degradability of model kitchen waste

High temperature and pressure microwave (MW) irradiation was investigated as a pre-treatment to enhance anaerobic biodegradability and methane production from a model kitchen waste (KW). Heating rates of 7.8, 3.9 and 1.9 °C/min from room temperature to a final pre-treatment temperature of 175 °C with 1 min temperature holding time were tested. MW irradiation was successful in solubilization of particulate chemical oxygen demand (COD) resulting in higher soluble COD, protein and sugar concentrations in the supernatant phase (<0.45 μm) as well as in the whole fraction of pretreated KW compared to controls (not pretreated). Anaerobic biodegradability of the supernatant and whole fractions of pretreated KW was assessed by using a batch biochemical methane potential assay (BMP) at 33 °C. Although the highest level of solubilization was achieved at a heating rate of 1.9 °C/min, improvement in anaerobic biodegradability was observed only at the fastest heating rate of 7.8 °C/min for whole waste and for all conditions with the supernatant phase. BMP indicated increased biodegradability of between 5% and 16% for the supernatant fraction relative to controls. For the whole fraction, anaerobic biodegradability improved by 9% at a heating rate of 7.8 °C/min.     

Hydrodechlorination/detoxification of PCDDs,PCDFs, and co-PCBs in fly ash by using calcium polysulfide

Dioxins like polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCSDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are mainly emitted from waste incinerators (WIs) and have become an international research focus because of its serious concerns over the adverse health effects. The detoxification of PCCDs/Fs and PCBs is very difficult because of their stable chemical structure. A significant hydrodechlorination/detoxification of polychlorinated 1-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were achieved in fly ash by using an aqueous mixture of calcium hydroxide and sulfur. Two different fly ashes were studied: originating from municipal waste incinerator (FA1) and industrial waste incinerator (FA2). They were heated with the aqueous mixture at 150 °C for 30 or 60 min with agitation. Higher decomposition (87%) and detoxification (87.7%) of PCDD/Fs and PCBs were achieved at 150 °C with two runs; every run was for 30 min, compared to one run for 60 min. FA2 gave higher decomposition and detoxification as compared to FA1, which might be due to higher metal content that played a catalytic role to decompose and detoxify the PCDDs, PCDFs and PCBs. The decomposition and detoxification of PCDFs in fly ash was higher than PCDDs and was augmented with increasing number of chlorides on aromatic compounds. As the highly significant decomposition and detoxification of higher concentration of PCDD/Fs and PCBs were achieved in 1 hour without additive catalyst and at low temperature of 150 °C, therefore, the developed method is cost effective and most suitable to apply on commercial/industrial level. The detail results of hydrodechlorination/detoxification of PCDD, PCDFs at different conditions are described and its mechanism is discussed.     

Effects of temperature on the release of nutrient elements of solid organic materials under conditions of oversaturation

The effects of temperature on the release of chemical components of six solid organic materials under conditions of oversaturation were investigated in this paper. The six materials were peat moss (PM), weathered coals (WC), charred rice husks (CRH), sawdust (Sd), turfgrass clippings (TC), and chicken manure (CM). Significant differences were observed in the available nitrogen and phosphorus content of the aqueous extracts of organic materials at different temperatures. The available nitrogen content in aqueous extracts of PM and WC at 25 °C was higher than that registered at 15 °C and 35 °C. Available nitrogen content in the aqueous extracts of CRH, Sd, TC, and WC at 35 °C was higher than at 15 °C and 25 °C. The available phosphorus content in the aqueous extracts of organic materials at 35 °C was higher than that available at 15 °C and 25 °C, with the exception of Sd. In addition, the release of available phosphorus in the aqueous solution of organic materials at different temperatures varied constantly for 108 h. The release of potassium (K⁺) and sodium (Na⁺) ions in the aqueous extracts of organic materials was basically steady over time, with the exception of CM. High temperature (35 °C) may significantly hasten the release of K⁺ from organic substrates (except for WC) with low temperatures significantly inhibiting release of K⁺ in Sd and CRH. High temperatures (35 °C) might significantly facilitate the release of Na⁺ in CM and TC. However, no significant differences were manifested in the release of Na⁺ from organic substrates at different temperatures, with the exception of CM and TC. Moreover, no significant differences were observed in the release of calcium, magnesium and iron ions with time, nor were there any significant differences in the contents of iron ions in the aqueous extracts of organic materials at different temperatures. The results indicate that multiple mediums should be pretreated in water for a week before being used for planting. They should be used when all mineral elements of organic materials are steady and ignoring the effect of organic mediums.     

Performance evaluation of a completely stirred anaerobic reactor treating pig manure at a low range of mesophilic conditions

Many Chinese biogas plants run in the lower range of mesophilic conditions. This study evaluated the performance of a completely stirred anaerobic reactor treating pig manure at different temperatures (20, 28 and 38 °C). The start-up phase of the reactor at 20 °C was very long and extremely poor performance was observed with increasing organic loading rate (OLR). At an OLR of 4.3 g ODM L^?1 d^?1, methane production at 28 °C was comparable (3% less) with that at 38 °C, but the risk of acidification was high at 28 °C. At low OLR (1.3 g ODM L^?1 d^?1), the biogas process appeared stable at 28 °C and gave same methane yields as compared to the reactor operating at 38 °C. The estimated sludge yield at 28 °C was 0.065 g VSS g^?1 COD_removed, which was higher than that at 38 °C (0.016 g VSS g^?1 COD_removed).     

Analysis of the combustion of sewage sludge-derived fuel by a thermogravimetric method in China

The treatment and disposal of sewage sludge are significant environmental problems in China. The reuse of sewage sludge for fuel could be an effective solution. The aim of this study was to characterize the behavior of sludge-derived fuel during combustion by a thermogravimetric method. The combustion profiles obtained showed four obvious weight loss regions. The results of dynamics analysis showed that first-order reactions together with Arrhenius’ law explained reasonably well the different stages of weight loss in the samples. Three temperature regions (162–327 °C, 367–445 °C, and 559–653 °C for sawdust and 162–286 °C, 343–532 °C, and 609–653 °C for coal) in each derivative thermogravimetry (DTG) curve corresponded well with the Arrhenius equation. The reactivity of sludge was lower than that of samples containing sawdust, but higher than that of coal-containing samples. These data demonstrate that sludge-derived fuel has better combustion characteristics than sludge, sawdust, or coal.     

Field investigation of the quality of fresh and aged leachates from selected landfills receiving e-waste in an arid climate

The management of electronic waste (e-waste) is a serious problem worldwide and much of it is landfilled. A survey of four selected landfills in an arid region of South Australia was conducted to determine the proportion of e-waste in municipal waste and the properties of each landfill site. Leachate and groundwater samples were collected upgradient and downgradient of the landfills for analysis of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and 14 metals and metalloids, including Al, As, Ba, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Sb, V and Zn. Our data demonstrate that the selected landfills in South Australia continue to receive municipal waste containing in excess of 6%, or 25,000 tonnes per year, of e-waste. The leachates and groundwater collected from the landfills contained significantly elevated concentrations of Pb with the highest concentration in groundwater of 38 μg/l, almost four times higher than the Australian drinking water guideline of 10 μg/l. The presence of PBDEs was detected in both leachate and groundwater samples. Total PBDEs values of 2.13–59.75 ng/l in leachate samples were 10 times higher than in groundwater samples, which recorded a range of 0.41–6.53 ng/l at all sites. Moreover, the concentrations of metals and metalloids in sampled groundwater contained elevated levels of Al, As, Fe, Ni and Pb that exceeded Australian drinking water guideline values. For these reasons potential leaching of these contaminants is of concern and while difficult to attribute elevated contaminant levels to e-waste, we do not recommend continued disposal of e-waste in old landfills that were not originally designed to contain leachates. The survey also revealed temporal variation in the electrical conductivity and concentrations of As, Cd and Pb present in leachates of landfills in arid Mediterranean climates. These results are consistent with the marked variations in rainfall patterns observed for such climates. The solute concentration (EC and other ions including As, Cd and Pb) declines in the leachates during wet winter months (June to September), in contrast to tropical countries where such changes are observed during wet summer months.