Denitrification of Landfill Leachate by the Modified Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC)

Abstract

In order to remove high-strength nitrogen and organics in landfill leachate simultaneously, the modified RBC which was combined with the standard RBC and the anaerobic biofilter was proposed. The treatability for actual landfill leachate of the standard RBC and the modified RBC was evaluated. The capability of COD removal in the modified RBC is much greater than that in the standard RBC, although both RBCs showed a BOD removal rate of more than 95%. This suggested that the combination method of aerobic and anaerobic treatment was effective in reducing refractory organic compounds. The nitrogen removal in the modified RBC was about 90% compared to 50% in Che standard RBC. The modified RBC had the advantage of nitrogen removal because nitrification and denitrification proceeded efficiently, even if a carbon source was not added. The performance of the modified RBC was superior to that of the standard RBC in both BOD surface loading and BOD volumetric loading.