Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 28, 2026

A Novel Bioreactor for High Density Cultivation of Diverse Microbial Communities
Published on: December 25, 2015
Performance and bacterial compositions of aged refuse reactors treating mature landfill leachate
Bing Xie1, Shunzi Xiong, Shaobo Liang
1Shanghai Key Laboratory on Urbanization Ecological Process and Ecorestoration, Department of Environmental Science & Technology, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China. bxie@des.ecnu.edu.cn
Abstract:
Aged landfill leachates become more refractory over time and difficulty to treat. Recently, aged refuse bioreactors show great promise in treating leachates. In this study, aged refuse bioreactors were constructed to simulate landfill leachate degradation process. The characteristics of leachate were: CODcr, ∼2200 mg/L; BOD5, ∼280 mg/L; total nitrogen, ∼2030 mg/L; and ammonia, ∼1900 mg/L. Results showed that bioreactor could remove leachate pollutants effectively at hydraulic loading of 20 L/m3 d. The removal rate reduced when hydraulic loading doubled or temperature lowered. Effluent recirculation could alleviate the temperature effect. Combining aged refuse and slag biofilters could treat leachate more efficiently. Pyrosequencing analysis indicated that bacteria from Pseudomonas, Lysobacter, Bacillus and δ-proteobacter, Flexibacteraceae were more abundant in the samples. The Shannon index decreased at lower temperature, while evenness and equitability increased with recirculation. We suggest that filter medium and temperature may be the main factors for shaping bacterial community structure.
Related Concept Videos
Microbial Wastewater Treatment
Biological Treatment of Effluent and Waste Water
Microbial Leaching
Bioreactor Design and Operational System
Microbial Bioremediation of Hydrocarbons
Bioreactor Controls-II

