Comparison of the characteristics of the leachate and the eluates obtained by different methods

In the research conducted, the interrelation between the leachate and eluates obtained by different methods was determined. The purpose of this research is to determine the optimum method yielding the eluates resembling the leachate generated from the same solid waste. Two reactors filled with solid waste, simulating to a certain extent the sanitary landfill conditions, were used for the generation of leachate. Eluates from the same solid waste that was filled in the reactors were produced by different methods - Standard Leaching Test (SLT), International Unit Conversion System (IUCS) 48 Hours Shaking Test, Minnesota Test and Deutches Institut fur Normung (DIN) 38414-S4 Test. Then both the leachate generated in the reactors and the eluates obtained were analyzed for pH, biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), 11 metals and inorganic elements and the results obtained were compared. The BOD and COD values of the SLT third day eluation have higher values than the eluates obtained by other methods. pH values of all the eluates are close to each other. The BOD, COD, Cu, Mn, Zn values of eluates obtained by SLT third eluation have the highest conformity to the leachate generated in reactors. The ratios of the average BOD, COD, Cu, Mg, Mn, Ni and Zn values of the leachate generated at the reactors to eluate are 0.9, 1.2, 0.65, 20, 1, 2.5 and 0.5, respectively. The average value of Ca concentration of the same eluate is 35 times lower than the average values of the leachate generated of the reactors. The eluate obtained by DIN 38414-S4 test has closest Fe and Pb values to the values of the leachate, but still Fe value is four times less than the average Fe values of the reactors. The ratio of Pb values of leachate to eluate is 0.6. The results showed that the SLT third day eluation yields the eluate having the closest values to the characteristics of the leachate generated at the reactors.