An analytical method for monitoring micro-traces of landfill leachate in groundwater using fluorescence excitation–emission matrix spectroscopy

Abstract

In this study, we use three-dimensional excitation–emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy for the identification of contamination of natural water bodies by landfill leachate. In particular, EEM was applied to provide information about the presence and quantities of leachate in ground waters. A good linear relationship was found between the fluorescence intensity emission of groundwater spiked with landfill leachate and the volumes of the latter, suggesting that there was no intrinsic fluorescence in the concentration range of 0–1000 μL L⁻¹. The obtained values of the LOD (10 μL L⁻¹; TOC = 34 μg L⁻¹) and LOQ (34 μL L⁻¹; TOC = 114 μg L⁻¹) allow us to detect the presence and the amount of the landfill leachate in a sample of groundwater even when it is diluted about 100 000 times.