Environmental Protection Barriers in a Municipal Solid Waste Disposal Area - Former Santa Madalena Dumpsite (São Paulo, Brazil)

• Grant number: 25/24803-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2025
• End date: November 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Sanitary Engineering - Environmental Sanitation
• Principal Investigator: Valéria Guimarães Silvestre Rodrigues
• Grantee: Amanda Gabriele Fava
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 25/13870-0 - Contamination assessment and remediation proposal in an area contaminated by Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) - São Carlos/SP, AP.R

Abstract

Brazil, like many other developing countries, faces significant challenges in the effective management of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). To address these challenges, the country enacted the National Solid Waste Policy (Law No. 12,305/2010), which sets national targets for the elimination and remediation of open dumpsites. In this context, studies focusing on the use of environmental protection barriers, interfaces between waste and the surrounding environment, are of great relevance. Base sealing barriers are designed to provide impermeabilization and minimize contaminant transport, preventing their migration into groundwater. Cover barriers, in turn, are intended to prevent rainwater infiltration and reduce leachate generation, as well as to control gas migration, protect against erosion, and provide a substrate for vegetation growth. Environmental protection barriers can be constructed using locally available soils; therefore, a detailed investigation of these soils, including geological and geotechnical characterization, is essential. Within this framework, this study aims to evaluate soils from the São Carlos region (SP) for their potential use as environmental protection barriers in a former dumpsite located in the municipality of São Carlos. This research is part of the thematic project Challenges to Water Security in a Context of Environmental Change: Interdisciplinary Approaches and Comparative Studies between the Guarani Aquifer System and Other Areas of Relevant Hydrological Interest in Brazil.