Related Experiment Videos
Leachate quality from landfilled MBT waste
H D Robinson1, K Knox, B D Bone
1Enviros Consulting Limited, Shrewbury Business Park, Sitka Drive, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY2 6LG, UK. howard.robinson@enviros.com
Waste Management (New York, N.Y.)
|May 5, 2005
Summary
Biological pre-treatment of waste, such as Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT), significantly reduces the polluting potential of landfill leachates. This process mitigates the high risks associated with mixed solid organic refuse (MSOR) waste and improves leachate quality.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science and Engineering
- Waste Management and Pollution Control
- Geochemistry and Environmental Chemistry
Background:
- Landfills receiving mixed solid organic refuse (MSOR) and mechanically and biologically treated (MBT) wastes generate leachates with significant environmental risks.
- Understanding leachate composition from pre-treated wastes is crucial for effective environmental protection and landfill management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze sanitary, heavy metal, and trace organic compositions of leachates from EU landfills containing MBT wastes with varying composting pre-treatment.
- To evaluate the impact of biological pre-treatment on the polluting potential of MSOR and MBT waste leachates.
Main Methods:
- Collection and sampling of leachates from EU landfills.
- Comprehensive analyses including sanitary parameters, heavy metals, and a wide array of trace organic substances.
- Comparative assessment of leachates from wastes with different degrees of composting pre-treatment.
Main Results:
- Leachates from MSOR wastes exhibit very high polluting potential.
- Biological pre-treatment of MSOR waste effectively avoids the acetogenic phase, producing leachates comparable to or weaker than conventional landfills.
- Effective MBT processes significantly reduce trace organics and ammoniacal-nitrogen concentrations in leachates.
Conclusions:
- Biological pre-treatment is a viable strategy to mitigate the environmental impact of landfill leachates from MSOR and MBT wastes.
- Further research is required to optimize nitrogen removal processes during MBT, focusing on nitrification/denitrification and stable nitrogen forms.