Treatment of a landfill leachate from Casablanca city by a coagulation-flocculation and adsorption process using a palm bark powder (PBP)

Abstract

The study aims to evaluate the efficiency of a combined landfill leachate treatment (coagulation with ferric chloride coupled with adsorption onto palm bark powder (PBP)) enhance a low cost bioadsorbent. The efficiency of this treatment, was assessed in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD), color and turbidity removal. This bioadsorbent was subjected to physico-chemical and morphological characterization by different methods (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, pH at zero charge point (pHPZC) and Boehm titration method).The coagulation process reduced the turbidity by 90%, the COD by 50%, the color by 80% and the biological oxygen demand (BOD5) by 99% for the optimum dose of ferric chloride of 12 g Fe3+. L−1. Thereafter, the sequential treatment of a landfill leachate based on coagulation as a pre-treatment process and then adsorption onto PBP improves the removal of turbidity, COD and color to 99%, 59% and 90%, respectively.These results demonstrate that combined coagulation-flocculation and adsorption processes could be a useful option for the treatment of solid-waste landfill leachate.