Abstract
The electrochemical treatment of leachate samples from a Portuguese intermunicipal sanitary landfill was carried out using anodic oxidation. The treatment was performed in a pilot plant that possesses an electrochemical cell, with boron-doped diamond electrodes, working in batch mode with recirculation. The influence of the applied current density and the flow rate on the performance of the electrochemical oxidation was investigated. Current density was decreased by steps, during the degradation, in order to study this effect on the efficiency of the process. For the assays run at equal flow rate and initial current intensity, chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal seems to depend mainly on the charge passed and the variation of the current density during the anodic oxidation process can reduce the energetic costs. An increase in the recirculation flow rate leads to an increase in the organic load removal rate and a consequent decrease in the energetic costs, but it decreases the nitrogen removal rate. Also, the bias between dissolved organic carbon and COD removals increases with flow rate, indicating that an increase in recirculation flow rate decreases the mineralization index.
Highlights
Leachate generation is an inevitable consequence of the deposition of solid wastes in sanitary landfills
The effect of the applied current density on the rate of electrochemical oxidation was studied by performing the electrodegradation assays at three different current intensities, 4, 7 and 14 A, at a flow rate of 360 L h-1, and using leachate volumes of 15, 5 and 5 L, respectively
The results of the normalized chemical oxygen demand (COD) variation with time and with specific charge passed for these electrodegradation assays
Summary
Leachate generation is an inevitable consequence of the deposition of solid wastes in sanitary landfills. It is the result of rainwater percolation through wastes, that extracts and brings with it several pollutant materials dissolved and in suspension [1]. Sanitary landfill leachate composition is very complex and depends mainly on the type of solid wastes that are deposited, the climatic conditions and the age of the sanitary landfill [2]. Inadequate leachate management involves considerable risks, contamination of water resources, at the surface and groundwater, and soils [1]. A common treatment for sanitary landfill leachates comprises biological reactors with nitrification/denitrification steps, followed by membrane technologies.
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