Emerging contaminants in landfill leachate and their sustainable management

Abstract

Emerging contaminants (ECs) are compounds that recently have been shown to occur widely in the environment and identified as being a potential environmental or public health risk, but yet adequate data do not exist to determine their risk. This review article focuses on ECs including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, surfactants, plasticizers, fire retardants, pesticides and nanomaterials. Their source, fate and transport in landfill leachate and adjacent environments have been discussed. Furthermore, state-of-the-art control and treatment techniques for ECs in landfill leachate have been presented. Sustainable management efforts for screening and control of ECs have been discussed. Molecular biology techniques to enumerate microbes capable of degrading ECs in landfills and their leachate are introduced. The article also presents future perspectives on the management of ECs in landfill leachate.