Advanced nitrogen removal of landfill leachate treatment with anammox process: A critical review

Abstract

The anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox) process is a promising biological nitrogen removal technology with the benefits of high nitrogen removal efficiency and low energy consumption, and it has been extensively implemented for landfill leachate treatment. Typically, landfill leachate contains high concentrations of ammonium, toxic substances, and very low biodegradability. This review summarizes the nitrogen removal performance of various anammox processes used for landfill leachate treatment, including a representative partial nitrification anammox (PN/A) process and other innovative combination processes. The microbial community of a specific process was analyzed, which was able to maintain stable process operation and degrade certain toxic substances. Also, the major factors encountered in the practical application of anammox technology for landfill leachate treatment, such as water quality characteristics, seasonal temperature variations and operational parameter are discussed. After a critical discussion of the challenges of applying these systems, prospects for the development of this research area are presented. This review is aimed at providing a reference for future research and improving engineering applications of anammox process in the field of landfill leachate treatment.