Manganese Behavior in Simulated Landfill Soil–Printed Waste Systems: A Screening-Level Study for Sustainable Graphic Waste Management

Manganese (Mn) is an emerging environmental pollutant whose concentrations in soil, water, and landfill leachates may rise due to industrial and municipal activities. This exploratory, screening-level study investigated Mn behavior in laboratory-simulated landfill systems containing two offset-printed products and soil samples from municipal and illegal landfills in Serbia. Batch experiments were conducted over 60 days under two initial pH conditions, and Mn concentrations in the leachate were measured. The highest concentration, 0.093 mg/L, was recorded in the daily newspaper system containing illegal landfill soil at an initial pH of 3.25. This value exceeded the WHO health-based value (0.08 mg/L), the U.S. EPA secondary aesthetic standard (0.05 mg/L), and the freshwater predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC; 0.075 mg/L); the corresponding ecological risk quotient was 1.24. Leachate Mn concentrations differed among the investigated soil–printed waste systems, with the highest values in systems containing illegal landfill soil under acidic initial-pH conditions. Because print-free and soil-free controls were not included, the measured concentrations represent combined system behavior and cannot be uniquely attributed to either the native soil Mn pool or the offset-printed products. The results therefore provide an exploratory basis for source-resolved landfill studies. Future experiments should include blank controls and a closed mass balance across the printed product, soil, and liquid phase to quantify Mn release or retention.