Test Operation of the MBR Pilot Plant for Leachate Treatment at the Sarajevo Sanitary Landfill

Abstract

AbstractRegional sanitary landfills and waste disposal centers are the strategic commitment in regard to municipal waste management in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In order to meet the environmental conditions, the obligation for each landfill is the treatment of leachate and disposal of landfill gas. Leachate from sanitary landfills is highly polluted wastewater, which changes its composition and quantity over time. Selection of an adequate leachate treatment technology is the first step in addressing the environmental impacts of leachate. At the Sarajevo Sanitary Landfill, in the period 2008–2011, a plant for the treatment of leachate started operation based on Membrane-Bio-Reactor technology (MBR) as a chosen technology. Due to a number of circumstances and malfunctions, the plant operation was stopped already soon after commissioning. The current situation at the Smiljevići Landfill is such that the landfill does not meet all of the technical requirements necessary to limit the negative environmental impact from the site. Leachate management continued to be one of the major issues at the landfill site since the leachate treatment plant (LTP) is out of function. There is a significant impact of leachate to the recipient (Lepenica stream). In 2016, the Government of Kanton Sarajevo (KS) started a five-year project for the reconstruction of the sanitary landfill and all associated facilities. One of the planned tasks is the reconstruction of the leachate treatment plant. For this purpose, a pilot plant was installed in 2018 to determine the composition of leachate and also to test a state of the art MBR - RO technology. The commissioning and related effects of the pilot plant for the treatment of the specific Smiljevići leachate in the period April–July 2018 are presented in this paper.KeywordsMBR – MembraneBioReactorLandfill leachateSludgePilot plantChemical characterization