An evaluation of reactive filter media for treating landfill leachate.
A laboratory bench-scale column study was conducted to evaluate permeable reactive filter materials as a new method for removal of heavy metals and inorganic nitrogen from landfill leachate. Mixtures of sand and peat, blast-furnace slag (BFS) and peat, and Polonite and peat were tested by loading columns with leachate collected from a pond at Tvetaverket Landfill, Sweden. Sand, peat and Polonite represent natural materials. BFS is a by-product from steel-works. The metal treatment efficiencies of the media were assessed and Polonite was found to perform best, where Mn, Fe, Zn and Cu concentrations were removed by 99%, 93%, 86% and 67%, respectively. This material was also able to reduce inorganic N by 18%. The BFS showed good removal efficiency for Cu (66%), Zn (62%), Ni (19%) and Mo (16%). The sand-peat mixture did not demonstrate a promising removal capacity for any of the elements studied with the exception of Cu (25%). The removal of different elements was suggested to be a combination of several factors, i.e. precipitation, ion exchange and adsorption. Prior to full-scale application of reactive filters at a landfill site, matrix selection, filter design and operational procedures must be developed.
Kietlińska
A
A
Department of Land and Water Resources Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology-KTH, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden. agak@kth.se
Renman
G
G
D000327:Adsorption; D005374:Filtration; D007220:Industrial Waste; D008670:Metals / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010087:Oxides / Q000737:chemistry*; D012037:Refuse Disposal; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry; D012987:Soil; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*
D007220:Industrial Waste; D008670:Metals; D010087:Oxides; C507562:Polonite; D012987:Soil; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D009584:Nitrogen