Landfill Leachate Treatment  from NEWater

At NEWater we provide you with water analysis services, ensuring that our landfill leachate treatment systems act as appropriate treatment systems to reduce and eliminate the particular pollutants and contaminants it contains. We guarantee the treatment of both organic and inorganic substances that the leachate is composed of.

At NEWater our leachate wastewater treatment guarantee that you are able to rid yourself of the harmful and negative substances leachate contains that have an effect on the environment and humans alike. The contaminants contained within it such as microorganisms, their metabolic products, decaying material, ammonium, sulfate, and heavy metals are all treated by our multi-step process. These include aerobic and anaerobic biological processing, the use of chemical or physical treatment for the flotation and coagulation of impurities, the stripping of ammonia, and membrane filtration, among others. This employs reverse osmosis technology to remove contaminants using semi-permeable membranes.

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The Ultimate FAQ Guide for Landfill Leachate Treatment.

Leachate, which is a consequence of precipitation in landfills can be a cause of surface water and groundwater pollution. With water reserves steadily declining, there is an imperative need to preserve the remaining water sources. Existing landfill regulations are tremendously helping fight environmental pollution by constraining waste disposal in landfills and providing guidelines for leachate treatment.

Despite stringent regulations on landfill waste disposal, leachate treatment is needed given that landfills will most certainly produce contaminated leachate. Presently, numerous technologies and equipment have been developed to facilitate landfill leachate treatment. In our article today, we expound on the biological and physicochemical processes and equipment employed in leachate treatment plants.

➣What is Landfill Leachate Treatment?

Landfill leachate is simply a liquid emanating from solid waste discarded in landfills and it carries dissolved and suspended constituents extracted from the solid waste. Landfill leachate treatment refers to the process of extracting the captured pollutants from leachate to protect surface and groundwater reservoirs. Since landfill leachate differs in characterization due to dissimilarities in solid waste content and age, hydrological and climatic parameters, there are distinct technologies for treating landfill leachate.

Ordinarily, landfill leachate is treated using physical/chemical processes or using biological processes like activated sludge treatment. To effectively treat leachate, several processes can be assimilated, for instance, the integration of membrane filtration with biological treatment in membrane bioreactor (MBR) treatment. We specialize in manufacturing wastewater treatment systems including custom-built systems for landfill leachate treatment that are highly productive and economical.

➣Which Processes Are Used in Landfill Leachate Treatment?

Landfill leachate treatment processes are principally divided into physicochemical processes and biological processes. The distinct processes are suited to treating distinct types of leachate depending on composition and concentration. Here is a brief illustration of these elaborate technologies.

● Biological treatment.

Biological treatment is primarily employed to extract biodegradable organics from landfill leachate. Essentially, microorganisms are exploited to degrade pollutants. Biological processes are proficient and cost-efficient when utilized to eliminate nutrients and biodegradable organics. However, supplemental processes to extract non-biodegradable organics and metals are needed. They are further categorized into two.

• Aerobic treatment.
• Anaerobic treatment.

● Aerobic treatment.

Aerobic treatment is one of the most renowned biological leachate treatment processes. It entails the use of aeration to augment the propagation of biological populations. Through activated sludge processes, the microorganisms break down biodegradable organics into the water and carbon dioxide.

● Anaerobic treatment.

Anaerobic treatment is comparatively more effective than aerobic treatment when it comes to landfill leachate treatment due to its characteristically high BOD/COD ratio. This technology decomposes organic and inorganic constituents without relying on oxygen.

● Physicochemical treatment.

Physicochemical treatment principally utilizes physical and chemical water treatment processes. Here is a brief description of the most commonly utilized physiochemical landfill leachate treatment technologies.

● Adsorption.

Adsorption is a technology that involves the use of solids (adsorbents) to capture molecules of liquids or gasses from landfill leachate. It is known for extracting numerous impurities, easy operation, and high tolerance to toxic elements. The adsorption processes commonly practiced in landfill leachate treatment include;

● Modified activated carbon.

Modified activated carbon is generated by submerging activated carbon granules in a solution of KMnO_4.  This treatment process can remove up to 99% of ammonia as well as 86% of zinc from your landfill leachate in a contact span of approximately 120 minutes.

● Magnetic adsorption.

Magnetic adsorption exploits adsorbents with magnetic properties to alienate liquid molecules from solids. It is a newly-invented technology that is highly promising.

● Integrated membrane filtration and biological treatment.

Hybrid landfill leachate treatment systems assimilate biological treatment processes with membrane filtration for improved results. The biological procedure utilized in membrane bioreactor treatment is primarily activated sludge treatment while ultrafiltration and microfiltration are the principal membrane filtration processes.

➣What Are the Primary Advantages of a Leachate Treatment Plant?

Leachate treatment plant has become wildly popular in recent years due to the positive impacts it has on the ecosystem and its inhabitants. It extracts harmful pollutants from landfill leachate thereby ensuring it meets the quality standards for disposal in water bodies. This helps municipalities and industries comply with wastewater quality and disposal regulations. Underneath are the diverse rewards reaped from landfill leachate treatment.

• Leachate treatment eliminates suspended solids, organic compounds, illness-causing microorganisms, and other diverse pollutants.
• The treatment processes utilized are economical, highly productive, and dependable.
• Landfill leachate treatment plants are easy to operate, inexpensive to maintain, and quite durable.
• It keeps industries and municipalities in compliance with effluent regulations saving them heavy fines.
• Landfill leachate treatment keeps water bodies clean and unpolluted by extracting harmful pollutants before the leachate comes into contact with groundwater or surface water.

➣Which Systems Are Used in Landfill Leachate Treatment?

The contaminants contained in landfill leachate often differ due to dissimilarities in location, and solid waste composition. NEWater provides landfill leachate treatment solutions for all forms of leachate. We manufacture landfill leachate treatment systems that utilize distinct treatment technologies. Below is a brief description of reputable leachate wastewater treatment.

● Sequencing batch reactors.

Sequencing batch reactors (SBR) are fill-and-draw wastewater treatment systems that utilize activated sludge treatment to extract impurities from wastewater or landfill leachate. In typical sequencing batch reactors, aeration, clarification, and equalization processes are undertaken in single batch reactors. However, higher productivity is attained by deploying additional batch reactors.

● Membrane bioreactor systems.

Membrane bioreactor systems for landfill leachate treatment eliminate suspended solids and biodegradable organics using membrane filtration systems and biological treatment systems respectively. The removal of suspended solids is accomplished using microfiltration or ultrafiltration filter systems while organics are removed using biological treatment processes like activated sludge treatment.

● Ion exchange systems.

Ion exchange treatment systems extract ionized impurities from leachate using ion exchange resins. They comprise cation exchange resins and anion exchange resins, which eliminate positively charged constituents and negatively charged elements respectively.  The objectionable ions are exchanged for non-pollutant ions (hydrogen and hydroxyl ions). However, ion exchange water softeners release sodium or potassium ions to replace the hardness ions (calcium and magnesium).

● Reverse osmosis systems.

Reverse osmosis systems are treatment units propelled by pressure to extract dissolved solids and other impurities using semipermeable membranes. In wastewater or leachate treatment, they are mainly used in post-treatment. They eliminate dissolved salts, viruses and bacteria, minerals, nutrients, and organic compounds. We manufacture containerized skid-mounted, and modular RO systems for landfill leachate treatment.

● Ultraviolet water sterilizers.

UV water sterilizers are non-chemical disinfection systems that exterminate microorganisms found in water using germicidal rays. We provide top-level UV sterilizers capable of destroying 99.99% of bacteria and other microbial pathogens in landfill leachate.

➣Which Impurities Are Extracted During Landfill Leachate Treatment?

Landfill leachate draws numerous contaminants from the respective solid waste. As such, the leachate from different landfills is likely to exhibit dissimilar compositions and concentrations of contaminants. We manufacture customized landfill leachate treatment plants tailored to extract specific contaminants from exclusive landfill leachate. Normally, the pollutants eliminated during landfill leachate treatment depend on the treatment process employed.

Both aerobic and anaerobic treatment processes get rid of biodegradable organics through decomposition. Suspended solids are extracted using conventional media filters or membrane filtration systems like UF and MF filters. The denitrification process eliminates ammonia while bacteria and other pathogens are removed using chlorination or UV water sterilization.

If the regulations on leachate quality are quite stringent, several treatment mechanisms can be integrated. Reverse osmosis, for instance, can be pivotal in extracting dissolved salts, microorganisms, nutrients, and metals. Ion exchange on the other hand can help remove ionized inorganics.

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➣How is Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) Utilized in Leachate Removal System?

Membrane bioreactor treatment is a technology that is widely used in landfill leachate treatment. Unlike orthodox biological treatment methods, membrane bioreactor treatment is more effective and can comprehensively treat old leachate, which is usually difficult to treat using biological treatment processes only. This treatment process integrates biological treatment with membrane filtration.

MBR utilizes microfiltration or ultrafiltration, which are membrane-based filtration processes to separate suspended solids from the leachate. The membranes have high retention capacities and help maintain high biomass concentration. This greatly benefits the biological treatment process. Membrane bioreactor treatment exhibits impeccable removal rates when it comes to biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and ammonia (90% or higher).

The treated leachate generated by membrane bioreactor systems is often high quality and rarely necessitates post-treatment. Their performances are consistently stable irrespective of the leachate characterization and operational conditions. The video below illustrates the working principles and system layout of membrane bioreactor plants.

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➣What is the Cost of Landfill Leachate Treatment?

The cost of leachate treatment varies depending on the complexity of the treatment processes and systems used.  To estimate the Total Cost (TC) of treating leachate, you need to factor in the capital expenditure (CAPEX) as well as the operational expenditure (OPEX). Capital expenditure covers costs related to the purchase of equipment and its installation. Prices of landfill leachate treatment systems differ due to discrepancies in size, efficiency, design, and output.

Operational expenditure (OPEX) on the other hand entails costs incurred in operationalizing the landfill leachate treatment plant. This covers expenses such as manpower, electrical power, system maintenance, and post-treatment. To illustrate the estimated cost of landfill leachate treatment, we are going to refer to an operational landfill leachate treatment plant using nanofiltration and lime treatment.

Assuming that the system’s leachate generation flow is 1000 m3, its permeate flux averages 12 L M-2 h-1 and it has a recovery rate of 60%, the total cost of leachate treatment ranges from $ 10.54 to $ 11.33 per cubic meter.  These cost estimates assume that the landfill operates for a minimum of 25 years and leachate treatment carries for an additional 15 years. Leachate treatment using reverse osmosis processes amounts to $8.58 per cubic meter, bearing in mind that the treatment process is undertaken 20 years after the closure of the landfill.

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➣Which Pretreatment Mechanisms Are Used in Leachate Treatment?

Landfill leachate often has high fouling capabilities hence it is recommended to pretreat it before subjecting it to biological or physicochemical treatment. The pretreatment processes and systems to deploy are essentially determined by the impurities present in the landfill leachate and their respective concentrations. Underneath are pretreatment technologies eligible for landfill leachate pretreatment.

● Coagulation and flocculation.

Coagulation and flocculation are pretreatment technologies frequently utilized to elevate the effectiveness of primary treatment processes like sedimentation and water filtration. Coagulation uses coagulants to destabilize charges of constituents in water, ultimately forming larger particles, which can be easily filtered out or settled for easier sedimentation.  On the flip side, flocculation destabilizes constituents using physical processes like stirring or injection of polymers. Coagulation and flocculation are often utilized in landfill leachate treatment to precondition the inlet leachate prior to membrane filtration or sedimentation.

● Media filtration.

Media filtration utilizes conventional media filtration systems such as pressure sand filters and quartz sand filters to separate suspended solids from the leachate. Media filtration is often used as pretreatment for reverse osmosis leachate treatment systems, and ion exchange systems among other landfill leachate treatment plants.

● Precipitation.

Chemical precipitation is a water treatment technique that turns dissolved elements in water into solid particles using counter-ions. Hydroxide precipitation is the most utilized process and it extracts dissolved metals from wastewater and landfill leachate.

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➣Which Mechanism Is Best for Eradicating Microbial Contamination in Leachate Treatment Plant?

Landfills can act as breeding sites for disease-causing microorganisms. The leachate from these landfills often contains varying kinds and degrees of harmful microorganisms, which must be extracted prior to disposal. In addition, the deployment of biological treatment, which is dependent on bacteria and pathogens can increase the microbial count in the leachate.

Typically, microbial contamination is eliminated using UV sterilization or chlorination. Ultraviolet sterilization stands out since it does not use chemicals and kills 99.99% of the microbes. It accomplishes this using germicidal rays, which dismantle the genetic makeup of microorganisms. UV water sterilization or chlorination is often employed in the post-treatment phase.

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