State of Art of Landfill Leachate Treatment: Literature Review and Critical Evaluation

Abstract

Population growth, especially in urban areas, combined with modern levels of social consumption, contribute for a significant increase of waste production. Among the environmental impacts resulting from the operation of landfills, the generation of leachate is certainly one of the most significant and most difficult to control. The composition of leachate is complex and varied; it contains physicochemical and biological characteristics that are aggressive to the soil, water resources, fauna and flora. The technical and operational difficulties to handle it are challenges for waste managers. There are several methods to treat leachate which are widely debated in the literature, each having advantages and disadvantages. The present paper has the objective of carrying out a bibliographical review of leachate treatment from landfills, addressing the main technologies, as well as discussing their applications, advantages, disadvantages and uncertainties. According to what was studied, the technologies that have been found to have the best practical results and, in general, reach the parameters for treated effluent provided for environmental legislations, are those that use filtering membranes. However, one of the major disadvantages of these processes is the generation of a concentrate, which is normally recirculated in the landfill itself.

Analysis of the Bioaugmentation Potential of Pseudomonas putida OR45a and Pseudomonas putida KB3 in the Sequencing Batch Reactors Fed with the Phenolic Landfill Leachate

“…To ensure the preservation of the public health and ecosystem, the remediation and disposal of the landfill leachate should proceed in an environmentally safe approach. Although both physical and chemical methods have been successfully applied to treat the landfill leachate within a short duration, these techniques are usually expensive and may lead to the unexpected secondary pollution of the environment [8][9][10]. Therefore, the biological methods are widely considered to be more appropriate for long term treatment of the landfill leachate [44].…”

Recovery of resources from industrial wastewater employing electrochemical technologies: status, advancements and perspectives

“…High treatment efficiencies for COD, BOD, TSS, P, and N; operating environments are highly adaptable, excellent effluent consistency, it is possible to generate electricity from biogas and there is no need for specialized staff. These are the major advantages of the aerobic treatment process, and there are some limitations like pathogen elimination is minimal; reliance on a continuous power supply; high upkeep specifications; susceptible to toxic shock loads, and regular failure of critical parts such as shafts, bearings, drives, and discs if not built to a high standard [ 66 , 67 ]…”

“…The major advantages of the anaerobic treatments are the minimal sludge output; low nutrient requirements; low initial and ongoing capital and operating costs; and methane production as an energy source. Also, there are some major limitations like an extensive startup and retention periods; needs high temperatures to function properly; needs for control to ensure proper operation; and shock and varying loads can disrupt microbial equilibrium [ 55 , 66 , 67 ].…”

Adsorption and desorption of nutrients from abattoir wastewater: modelling and comparison of rice, coconut and coffee husk biochar

“…Biological approaches, on the other hand, have a high operational sensitivity and are influenced by the leachate's physicochemical and biological variability. The toxicity of leachate particularly that of ammonia, may pose a threat to the microbial fauna necessary for anaerobic decomposition, necessitating heating or cooling Ineffectiveness (Lippi et al, 2018). Adsorption has been suggested as an effective method for removing contaminants from polluted media (Badruddoza et al, 2013;Nageeb, 2013).…”