Landfill leachate treatment by evaporation in open and closed systems under low temperature in southern Brazil

Abstract

The leachate produced in landfills represents one of the main environmental risks. Among the main emerging techniques of leachate treatment is evaporation. The present study aimed to implement and monitor the performance of natural and forced evaporation technology in open and closed systems. The open pilot experiment system consisted of storage tanks, sprinklers and an evaporative panel, obtaining an average evaporation rate in the system of over 100 L.day−1. For the closed pilot system, different temperatures were combined with different air speeds, simulated by a fan. The results obtained during this operation ranged from 7.7 to 127.2 L.day−1 for the various climatic conditions simulated. In both experiments, wind speed proved to be the most significant climatic characteristic, followed by temperature. With regard to the dispersion of microorganisms in the air, both pilots showed a downward trend in colony-forming units (CFUs) as the distance increased. The volatile organic compound (VOCs) most likely to be present in the atmosphere surrounding the experiments were Dimethyl-Diazene, Tetramethyl-Silane, 2-Nitro-Propane, and 3-Methyl-Butanenitrile. The performance of leachate evaporation, which can be applied in various climatic conditions, leads to the conclusion that these techniques are a viable alternative to conventional landfill leachate treatment methods.