Municipal landfill leachate characteristics and feasibility of retrofitting existing treatment systems with deammonification - A full scale survey.
Leachate characteristics, applied technologies and energy demand for leachate treatment were investigated through survey in different states of Germany. Based on statistical analysis of leachate quality data from 2010 to 2015, almost half of the contaminants in raw leachate satisfy direct discharge limits. Decrease in leachate pollution index of current landfills is mainly related to reduction in concentrations of certain heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cd, Hg) and organics (biological oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and adsorbable organic halogen (AOX)). However, contaminants of concern remain COD, ammonium-nitrogen (NH4N) and BOD5with average concentrations in leachate of about 1850, 640, and 120 mg/L respectively. Concentrations of COD and NH4N vary seasonally, mainly due to temperature changes; concentrations during the first quarter of the year are mostly below the annual average value. Electrical conductivity (EC) of leachate may be used as a time and cost saving alternative to monitor sudden changes in concentration of these two parameters, due to high correlations of around 0.8 with both COD and NH4N values which are possibly due to low heavy metal concentrations in leachate. The decreased concentrations of heavy metals and BOD5favor the retrofitting of an existing biological reactor (nitrification/denitrification) with the deammonification process and post denitrification, as this lowers average annual operational cost (in terms of energy and external carbon source) and CO2emission by €25,850 and 15,855 kg CO2,eqrespectively.
Institute for Sanitary Engineering and Waste Management, Leibniz University Hannover, Appelstr. 9a, 30167 Hannover, Germany. Electronic address: pajooh@isah.uni-hannover.de.
Ehsan
E
Mohammad-Pajooh
Institute for Sanitary Engineering and Waste Management, Leibniz University Hannover, Appelstr. 9a, 30167 Hannover, Germany. Electronic address: weichgrebe@isah.uni-hannover.de.
Dirk
D
Weichgrebe
Institute for Sanitary Engineering and Waste Management, Leibniz University Hannover, Appelstr. 9a, 30167 Hannover, Germany. Electronic address: cuff@isah.uni-hannover.de.
Graham
G
Cuff
D064751:Ammonium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D057919:Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis; D019149:Bioreactors; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D064091:Waste Disposal Facilities; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*
D064751:Ammonium Compounds; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
Anammox; Deammonification; Energy efficiency; Leachate characteristics; Leachate treatment; Technology acceptance