Leachate Management Research Articles

KAJIAN SISTEM PENGELOLAAN SAMPAH DI KOTA PALANGKA RAYA DAN PENGARUHNYA TERHADAP KUALITAS AIR LINDI

Waste management in Palangka Raya City is in the Km Landfill. 14. The landfill is divided into 2 activities, namely waste management and leachate management installation. The waste management system is a method applied at the end point of waste processing. Waste collected at the landfill arrives at the landfill. The purpose of this study is to analyze waste generation, waste composition, and waste sources, analyze whether the waste management method affects the quality of leachate water and groundwater of the surrounding residents, and analyze the pollution index in the groundwater of the surrounding residents. This study uses a quantitative descriptive method by analyzing leachate and groundwater samples examined at the regional health laboratory. The results of these samples will be compared with leachate water quality standards, groundwater quality standards for sanitary hygiene purposes, and groundwater pollution index tests. The quality of leachate is unaffected by the operational method of waste processing. All leachate water samples for the parameters TSS and Cadmium are below the quality standard for final waste processing, except for the TSS value at station St2, this is because the wastewater is still in the waste pile area and has not yet entered the leachate management installation pond. The results of groundwater sample tests in several residents' homes for the pH parameter are below the quality standard. The pollution index results show that the water used daily is categorized as lightly polluted.

Leachate management in medium- and small-sized sanitary landfills: a Greek case study

The sustainable management of landfill leachates remains a matter of important concern in many countries. We used as case study a medium-sized Greek landfill, and we initially investigated the performance of the existing secondary leachate treatment system. The activated sludge process removed chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), NH4-N, and PO4-P by 55%, 84%, 94%, and 14%, respectively, but the effluents did not meet the legislation requirements for discharge or reuse. Afterwards, different management options of these effluents (co-treatment with sewage in the centralized treatment plant, onsite tertiary treatment with reverse osmosis, granular activated carbon (GAC), ozonation, photo-Fenton, or constructed wetlands) were evaluated regarding their operational costs and environmental footprint. The use of constructed wetlands presented the lower operational cost, energy requirements, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, not exceeding 21.5 kg CO2eq/day. On the other hand, the power consumption and the GHG emissions of the other on-site technologies ranged from 0.37 kWh/m3 and 5.56 kg CO2eq/day (use of GAC) to 39.19 kWh/m3 and 588.6 kg CO2eq/day (use of ozonation), respectively. The co-treatment of the leachates with municipal wastewater required 0.6 kWh/m3 and emitted 30.18 kg CO2eq/day. For achieving zero-discharge of the treated leachates, a system consisting of constructed wetlands and evaporation ponds in series was designed.

Experimental investigation and multi-performance optimization of the leachate recirculation based sustainable landfills using Taguchi approach and an integrated MCDM method

Landfill leachates contain harmful substances viz. chemicals, heavy metals, and pathogens, that pose a threat to human health and the environment. Unattended leachate can also cause ground water contamination, soil pollution and air pollution. This study focuses on management of leachate, by recirculating the rich, nutrient-filled fluid back into the landfills, turning it to a bioreactor, thereby maximising the performance parameters of landfills favourable for electricity production by the waste to energy plants. This study demonstrates a sustainable alternative method for utilising the fluid, rather than treating it using an extremely expensive treatment process. Further, it also experimentally investigates the effect of varying levels of five input parameters of the landfill including waste particle size, waste addition, inorganic content in waste, leachate recirculation rate, and landfill age, each at five levels, on the multiple performance of the landfill using Taguchi’s L25 standard orthogonal array. Experimental results are analysed using an integrated MCDM approach i.e. MEREC-PIV method and statistical techniques such as analysis of mean (ANOM) and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results indicate that the optimal setting of the input parameters is waste particle size at 9 ppm, waste addition at 80 Ktoe, inorganic content in waste at 2%, leachate recirculation rate at 250 l/day and landfill age at 3 years. Further, inorganic content waste is found to be the most significant parameter for the multiple performance of the landfill. This study presents a novel approach to produce input parameters for power plants which may enhance their profitability and sustainability.

Evaluation of acute phytotoxicity of raw leachate and landfill leachate using Sorghum bicolor seeds

Background: Leachate, a highly contaminated liquid, is produced by separating wastes and introducing moisture into the waste layers. Biological toxicity evaluation is a method that may be used to analyze the toxicity of leachate to organisms and plants. Sorghum bicolor was employed in this study to evaluate the acute toxicity of raw leachate and landfill leachate. Methods: Leachate was collected from different locations within the refuse that was collected and mixed in a sampling container. The physiochemical characteristics of the leachate were analyzed in both raw leachate and landfill leachate. Germination rate, root weight, and root length were measured 24, 48, and 72 hours after planting for leachate dilutions of 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%, respectively. Results: Raw leachate had greater concentrations of metals (Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Cr, Cd, and Pb), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), nitrate, ammonia, and phosphate, as well as a more acidic pH (<6), as compared to landfill leachate. The results showed that landfill leachate had a lower potential for toxicity than raw leachate, with seed-germination rates of 0.1 and 0 in the presence of 75% landfill leachate after 48 and 72 hours, respectively, as opposed to 0.3 and 0.1 in the presence of raw leachate. Conclusion: The findings show that raw leachate can include higher concentrations of metals and organic compounds, which can be one of the causes of Sorghum seed phytotoxicity. Waste leachate management is one of the most important pillars of environmental protection, and it should be taken into consideration by the right authorities.

The influence of combined treatment of municipal wastewater and landfill leachate on the spread of antibiotic resistance in the environment – A preliminary case study

Environmentally-friendly management of landfill leachate (LL) poses a challenge, and LL is usually co-treated with municipal wastewater in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The extent to which the co-treatment of LL and municipal wastewater influences the spread of antibiotic resistance (AR) in the environment has not been examined to date. Two WWTPs with similar wastewater composition and technology were studied. Landfill leachate was co-treated with wastewater in one of the studied WWTPs. Landfill leachate, untreated and treated wastewater from both WWTPs, and river water sampled upstream and downstream from the wastewater discharge point were analyzed. Physicochemical parameters, microbial diversity, and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) abundance were investigated to determine the impact of LL co-treatment on chemical and microbiological contamination in the environment. Landfill leachate increased pollutant concentrations in untreated wastewater and river water. Cotreatment of LL and wastewater could affect the abundance and diversity of microbial communities and the interactions between microbial species. Co-treatment also decreased the stability of microbial co-occurrence networks in the examined samples. The mexF gene was identified as a potential marker of environmental pollution with LL. This is the first study to explore the impact of LL on the occurrence of AR determinants in wastewater and rivers receiving effluents.

Evaluation of landfill leachate biodegradability using IOT through geotracking sensor based drone surveying

In specific this work focuses on designing and developing a trial model first of its kind which is chemically non reactive using Urea Formaldehyde (UF) and a value added flat board that is to be prepared from solid waste. The display setup is to be monitored by Arduino Controller which incorporates the assessment of numerical factors and measurable compositions in the board. The compilation of manufactured goods from organic waste is a course of development network that is centrally operated by Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tools. Preservation of database from the organic fraction is managed through software guidelines, the fifth generation radio technology with lower economic can cover communication over a larger radio spectrum with the support of ultra high frequency RFID Tags and systems, which assure the most favourable management of valuable products from the storage unit. Sensors attached with board and cloud platform supports collection of data from the huge solid waste yard. The current leachate management has a desire to suggest a strong resolution in handling solid waste that is elaborated with a novel methodology, where we suggest the radiofrequency identification of leachate monitoring by the use of modern versions of unmanned aerial vehicle the drones. At some stage in neutralizing the toxic waste the risk of life may be eliminated and accumulated waste were identified and with the support of advanced techniques and instruments like drones are used in managing wastes.

Application of artificial neural network and dynamic adsorption models to predict humic substances extraction from municipal solid waste leachate

Sustainable municipal solid waste leachate (MSWL) management requires a paradigm shift from removing contaminants to effectively recovering resources and decreasing contaminants simultaneously. In this study, two types of humic substances, fulvic acid (FA) and humic acid (HA) were extracted from MSWL. HA was extracted using HCl and NaOH solution, followed by FA using a column bed under diversified operations such as flow rate, input concentration, and bed height. Also, this work aims to evaluate efficiency of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Dynamic adsorption models in predicting FA. With the flow rate of 0.3 mL/min, bed height of 15.5 cm, and input concentration of 4.27 g/mL, the maximum capacity of FA was obtained at 23.03 mg/g. FTIR analysis in HA and FA revealed several oxygen-containing functional groups including carboxylic, phenolic, aliphatic, and ketone. The high correlation coefficient value (R2) and a lower mean squared error value (MSE) were obtained using the ANN, indicating the superior ability of ANN to predict adsorption capacity compared to traditional modeling.

Nature based solutions applied to mature leachate treatment in the Latin American resource-poor environment

Some Latin American countries have implemented environmental policies which have enhanced a shift in domestic solid waste practices from open dumps to sanitary landfills, bringing about a serious challenge to the region in terms of leachate management both in the operation and the aftercare phases of landfills. This work looks at the viability of Nature based Solutions (NbS) in the Latin American resource-poor environment as a cost-efficient alternative for dealing with such a challenge. In particular, an experimental trial was carried out in order to evaluate the contaminants removal of four subsurface constructed wetlands at a pilot scale, for treating mature leachate with emphasis on nitrogen removal. The wetlands were set in two treatment lines: (1) a vertical flow wetland followed by a horizontal flow wetland and (2) two vertical flow wetlands in series. Each line was fed at a 173 L.d−1 rate of mature leachate. The wetlands were planted with a polyculture of the tropical plants Colocasia esculenta and Heliconia psittacorum in a random way and the support media used was composed of 3/8″ gravel and gross sand. Both treatment lines showed similar behaviours and it is important to highlight that ammoniacal nitrogen, that is the principal contaminant to treat, was significantly removed (40% approx.) considering the high loads the system was fed with (490 kg.d−1 TAN). It is considered that the removal mechanism of the ammoniacal nitrogen is a biological nitrification-denitrification process, due to the increase of nitrite and nitrate concentrations in the effluent, as well as the bicarbonate alkalinity consumption. These results suggest the system proposed as an NbS has promising potential for leachate treatment in Latin American countries.

Towards effective recovery of humate as green fertilizer from landfill leachate concentrate by electro-neutral nanofiltration membrane

Under the environmental sustainability concept, landfill leachate concentrate can be up-cycled as a useful resource. Practical strategy for effective management of landfill leachate concentrate is to recover the existing humate as fertilizer purpose for plant growth. Herein, we designed an electro-neutral nanofiltration membrane to separate the humate and inorganic salts for achieving a sufficient humate recovery from leachate concentrate. The electro-neutral nanofiltration membrane yielded a high retention of humate (96.54 %) with an extremely low salt rejection (3.47 %), tremendously outperforming the state-of-the-art nanofiltration membranes and exhibiting superior promise in fractionation of humate and inorganic salts. With implementation of the pressure-driven concentration process, the electro-neutral nanofiltration membrane enriched the humate from 1756 to 51,466 mg∙L−1 at a fold of 32.6, enabling 90.0 % humate recovery and 96.4 % desalination efficiency from landfill leachate concentrate. Furthermore, the recovered humate not only exerted no phytotoxicity, but also significantly promoted the metabolism of red bean plants, serving as an effective green fertilizer. The study provides a conceptual and technical platform using high-performance electro-neutral nanofiltration membranes to extract the humate as a promising nutrient for fertilizer application, in view of sustainable landfill leachate concentrate treatment.

Algae-based treatment of a landfill leachate pretreated by coagulation-flocculation

Landfill leachate (LL) management is an urgent issue at recently closed Sisdol Landfill Site (SLS) used to dispose of solid waste generated in Kathmandu (Nepal) as untreated leachate is flowing directly to the nearby Kolpu River causing environmental and health concerns. This study aims to assess the potential of algae-based treatment of LL pretreated by optimized coagulation-flocculation (CF) for the removal of conventional pollutants such as biological oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia, nitrate, and phosphate. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the operating variables (dose and pH) during the pretreatment of leachate by the CF process using ferric chloride (FeCl3.7H2O), alum (Al2(SO4)3.6H2O) and commercial poly aluminium chloride (PAC) as coagulants using a jar test apparatus. The pretreated LL was subjected to algal treatment using the mixed microalgae culture isolated and enriched from the wastewater collection pond and grown in artificial light. The combined physicochemical and algal treatment of LL from SLS achieved 62.93–72.43%, 74.93–75.55% and 87.58–93.40% and 73.63–86.73% removal for COD, BOD5, ammonium-nitrogen and phosphate, respectively. Thus, this research has proven the feasibility of a combined physiochemical and algae-based treatment of LL and also offers an exciting alternative to current treatment practices for LL.

Insights into sustainable resource and energy recovery from leachate towards emission mitigation for environmental management: A critical approach

The exponential generation of municipal solid waste (MSW) and landfill disposal without any treatment has increased the continuous generation of landfill leachate. Improper MSW and leachate management are contributing to environmental degradation and water and soil pollution, which must be treated. Numerous works have been conducted on leachate treatments for energy and resource recovery. This review presents a comprehensive study of leachate management in which different treatment methods are discussed to analyze the suitability of processes that can be employed to treat leachate efficiently. Further, the characteristics of leachate are examined as properties of leachate may be varied depending upon the region. Still, several challenges related to leachate management and its treatments are discussed in this study. An integrated system could be a better option for treating leachate because it contains large amounts of organic and inorganic compounds. Proper leachate management would help to recover energy and value-added products (metals).

Screening of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) along wastewater treatment system equipped with root zone treatment: A potential model for domestic waste leachate management

We present the use of root zone treatment (RZT) based system for the removal of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) from domestic wastewater. The occurrence of more than a dozen PPCPs were detected in an academic institution wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) at three specific locations, i.e., influent, root treatment zone, and effluents. The comparisons of observed compounds detected at various stages of WWTP suggest that the presence of PPCPs, like homatropine, cytisine, carbenoxolone, 4,2′,4′,6′-tetrahydroxychalcone, norpromazine, norethynodrel, fexofenadine, indinavir, dextroamphetamine, 3-hydroxymorphinan, phytosphingosine, octadecanedioic acid, meradimate, 1-hexadecanoyl-sn-glycerol, and 1-hexadecylamine, are unusual than the usual reported PPCPs in the WWTPs. In general, carbamazepine, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, trimethoprim, sulfamethoxazole, caffeine, triclocarban, and triclosan are often reported in wastewater systems. The normalized abundances of PPCPs range between 0.037–0.012, 0.108–0.009, and 0.208–0.005 in main influent, root zone effluent, and main effluents, respectively, of the WWTP. In addition, the removal rates of PPCPs were observed from −200.75% to ∼100% at RZT phase in the plant. Interestingly, we observed several PPCPs at later stages of treatment which were not detected in the influent of the WWTP. This is probably owing to the presence of conjugated metabolites of various PPCPs present in the influent, which subsequently got deconjugated to reform the parent compounds during the biological wastewater treatment. In addition, we suspect the potential release of earlier absorbed PPCPs in the system, which were absent on that particular day of sampling but have been part of earlier influents. In essence, RZT-based WWTP was found to be effective in removing the PPCPs and other organic contaminants in the study but results in stress the need for further comprehensive research on RZT system to conclude the exact removal efficacy and fate of PPCPs during treatment in the system. As a current research gap, the study also recommended RZT to be appraised for PPCPs in-situ remediation from landfill leachates, an underestimated source of PPCPs intrusion in the environment.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) distribution in landfill gas collection systems: leachate and gas condensate partitioning

While per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been reported extensively in municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill leachate,they have rarely been quantified in landfill gas or in discrete landfill liquids such as landfill gas condensate (LGC), and the potential for PFAS to partition to the condensate has not been reported. LGC and leachate collected from within gas wells known as gas well pump-out (GWP) from three MSW landfills underwent physical-chemical characterization and PFAS analysis to improve understanding of the conditions under which these liquids form and to illuminate PFAS behavior within landfills. LGC was observed to be clear liquid containing ammonia and alkalinity while GWP strongly resembled leachate – dark in color, high in chloride and ammonia. Notably, arsenic and antimony were found in concentrations exceeding regulatory thresholds by over two orders of magnitude in many LGC samples. LGC contained a lower average concentration of ΣPFAS (19,000 ng L) compared to GWP (56,000 ng L); however, LGC contained more diversity of PFAS, with 53 quantified compared to 44 in GWP. LGC contained proportionally more precursor PFAS than GWP, including more semi-volatile PFAS which are rarely measured in water matrices, such as fluorotelomer alcohols and perfluoroalkane sulfonamido ethanols. This study provides the first detailed comparison of these matrices to inform timely leachate management decisions.

A Critical Review on the Microbial Ecology of Landfill Leachate Treatment Systems

Sanitary landfilling is still considered worldwide as one of the most common methods applied for the management of the municipal solid waste. As a consequence, vast amounts of landfill leachate are generated annually, which are characterized by variability in physicochemical composition, owing to the stabilization process that occurs over the years. However, sustainable management of landfill leachate is a challenging issue, due to diverse chemical composition and high concentration in heavy metals and xenobiotics. Despite the fact that several studies have been reported on the biotreatment of landfill leachate, only in recent years has the microbial composition in such systems have been examined. In the present review, the key role of the microbial ecology involved in depurification and detoxification of landfill leachate in activated sludge and anaerobic systems is interpreted and ecological considerations influencing landfill leachate treatment are stated. Apart from the assessment of landfill toxicity on certain model organisms, this work provides an extensive overview on microbial communities performing key biological processes during landfill leachate treatment, including nitrification-denitrification, anammox and anaerobic digestion. Moreover, microbial aspects affecting nutrient removal efficiency in such biosystems are discussed.

A Recent Progress in the Leachate Pretreatment Methods Coupled with Anaerobic Digestion for Enhanced Biogas Production: Feasibility, Trends, and Techno-Economic Evaluation

Landfill leachate (LFL) treatment is a severe challenge due to its highly viscous nature and various complex pollutants. Leachate comprises various toxic pollutants, including inorganic macro/nano components, xenobiotics, dissolved organic matter, heavy metals, and microorganisms responsible for severe environmental pollution. Various treatment procedures are available to achieve better effluent quality levels; however, most of these treatments are nondestructive, so pollutants are merely transported from one phase to another, resulting in secondary contamination. Anaerobic digestion is a promising bioconversion technology for treating leachate while producing renewable, cleaner energy. Because of its high toxicity and low biodegradability, biological approaches necessitate employing other techniques to complement and support the primary process. In this regard, pretreatment technologies have recently attracted researchers' interest in addressing leachate treatment concerns through anaerobic digestion. This review summarizes various LFL pretreatment methods, such as electrochemical, ultrasonic, alkaline, coagulation, nanofiltration, air stripping, adsorption, and photocatalysis, before the anaerobic digestion of leachate. The pretreatment could assist in converting biogas (carbon dioxide to methane) and residual volatile fatty acids to valuable chemicals and fuels and even straight to power generation. However, the selection of pretreatment is a vital step. The techno-economic analysis also suggested the high economic feasibility of integrated-anaerobic digestion. Therefore, with the incorporation of pretreatment and anaerobic digestion, the process could have high economic viability attributed to bioenergy production and cost savings through sustainable leachate management options.

Investigating and Presenting the Optimal Alternative for Managing and Disposing Landfill Leachate in Iran Using the Analytical Hierarchy Process

Background. In most developing countries, concern about leachate pollution is serious. This study aimed to determine the best alternative for leachate management and disposal using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. Methods. In this descriptive-applied research, the criteria and alternatives for leachate management and disposal were selected, including evaporation pond (natural with sunlight), recirculation/evaporation, and treatment (physical and chemical, biological/advanced). Then, three criteria and 11 sub-criteria were selected. The criteria and sub-criteria were weighted, using the Expert Choice 11 software and compared two by two to determine the relative importance of each. Then, each of the alternatives was compared and prioritized two by two in relation to the criteria and sub-criteria. Results. The results of the study showed that the evaporation pond (natural with sunlight) was the most preferable alternative with an importance coefficient of 0.569. The alternative of recycling/evaporation and treatment (physical and chemical, biological/advanced) with an importance factor equal to 0.216 was placed in the next priority. The consistency ratio (CR) of all the paired matrices of the alternatives was equal and less than 0.1. Conclusion. By considering the economic, technical, operating, health, and environmental criteria, the evaporation pond method (natural with sunlight) was chosen as the best method for managing and disposing landfill leachate in Iran. Therefore, it is recommended to consider the alternative of leachate management in landfills, especially considering the climatic conditions of the country (90% dry and semi-arid climate).

Impacts of Landfill Leachate on the Surrounding Environment: A Case Study on Amin Bazar Landfill, Dhaka (Bangladesh)

Currently, a total of about 15,000 tons/day of waste is generated in the entire Dhaka city with an average per capita waste generation of 0.641 kg/day. Only 37% of this waste is collected and dumped into the two sanitary landfill sites, which is the only waste management system in Dhaka. To investigate the impact of landfill leachate of Amin Bazar landfill on the environmental compartments, a total of 14 composite samples (two leachates, three surface water, three groundwater, three soil, and three plants) were collected and analyzed for physicochemical parameters and heavy metal(loid)s concentration. Based on the result of physicochemical parameters, all results were found higher in the leachate samples than the permissible limit. The heavy metal(loid)s in leachate samples have a value of high levels of contamination. Surface water, groundwater, soil, and vegetation are all polluted as a result of high levels of metal contamination. Although the Water Quality Index values of the samples based on heavy metal(loid)s concentrations were within the acceptable range, heavy metal concentrations in the soil and plants were quite high. The concentrations of lead (Pb—8 mg/kg), cadmium (Cd—0.4 mg/kg), chromium (Cr—2.26 mg/kg), and cobalt (Co—1.72 mg/kg) in all plant samples were found to be higher than the allowable limit. The individual concentration of arsenic (As—0.021 mg/L) in the leachate was higher than the maximum allowed limit. Inverse Distance Weighted analysis through ArcGIS showed that landfill leachate has the maximum probability of contaminating the surrounding environment with heavy metal(loid)s. Results showed that samples collected near the landfill have higher concentrations of heavy metal(loid)s than others, which establishes the contribution of landfill leachate in contaminating the environment with heavy metal(loid)s. The improper leachate management of landfill has a high impact on the environment.

A sustainable municipal solid waste system under leachate treatment impact along with leakage control and source separation

Over the past few decades, inefficient waste management has caused environmental problems, such as leachate leakage, high pollution in the surface and groundwater, and soil contamination. In this regard, it is essential to adopt proper pre-discharge leachate management and treatment in the case of municipal waste. This study proposes a novel sustainable network design model by determining the optimal combination of transfer stations and separation units equipped with waste compaction and leachate treatment technologies, waste treatment facilities with different efficiencies, and optimal waste and leachate flow allocation along with waste separation at the source for municipal solid waste (MSW) systems. The uncertainty in the generated amount of waste is also considered in different urban areas. Therefore, a two-stage stochastic programming has been developed to minimize the total cost and the leachate pollution potential of MSW network systems, considering leachate types, collection and garbage-bin-cleaning truck types, and recyclable waste quality. Furthermore, the social objective is to maximize the number of job opportunities. The sample average approximation approach and the augmented ε-constraint method have been implemented to address the model uncertainty and solve the proposed multi-objective model, respectively. The results have indicated that considering the leachate treatment in the MSW network and waste separation at the source, despite increasing the total cost, has decreased leachate pollution potential by 41.3% and has created the number of job opportunities by 29.2% compared to the current situation in Tehran as a case study. Moreover, complete waste separation at the source in the proposed model has shown that it can have a positive effect on decreasing the total cost and leachate pollution potential.

Loose nanofiltration - membrane distillation integrated process for resource recovery from leachate MBR effluent: Performance and membrane fouling

The hybrid membrane bioreactor (MBR)-nanofiltration (NF)/reverse osmosis (RO) process is a prevalent strategy for leachate treatment. However, high-pressure NF/RO face significant challenges including limited resource recovery, severe membrane fouling, and refractory saline concentrate. Herein, a novel loose nanofiltration (LNF)-membrane distillation (MD) integrated process was proposed to replace the conventional NF/RO for sustainable management of leachate. The LNF can effectively fractionate organics/salts, and subsequent MD can recover salts and produce high-quality water. The effects of operating conditions on membrane fouling behaviors and recovery efficiency in individual LNF and MD were first systematically evaluated, and then a semi-continuous LNF-MD integrated process was performed. The results show that increasing operating temperature increased the potential of organic-inorganic composite fouling and decreased the fractionation efficiency of organics/salts in LNF process. Appropriately lowering feed pH (e.g., pH 5.0) alleviated membrane fouling/scaling and improved separation efficiencies. For the MD, no fouling or wetting was observed under any feed temperature conditions (40–60 °C). 95.5 % organics, 86.5 % salts, and 81.9 % high-quality water were recovered from leachate MBR effluent using this novel LNF-MD integrated process, which presented great potential for industrial and agricultural reuse. Our work provides a sustainable management solution for leachate towards resource recovery and zero liquid discharge.

Impact, Mitigation Strategies, and Future Possibilities of Nigerian Municipal Solid Waste Leachate Management Practices: A Review

Landfills and solid waste disposal facilities have historically been the most common point sources of pollution with the potential to release contamination leachate plumes into the environment. Waste disposal is one of the biggest problems that the world is facing. In man’s everyday life, he produces waste materials which, if not properly managed, can affect health and environment. The seepage of landfill leachate into groundwater tables and aquifer systems significantly creates a possible danger and threat to human health and environment at large and remains a subject of concern in Nigeria and other parts of the world. This paper provides a review of existing approaches to leachate treatment in Nigeria and current practices across the globe, depicts the impact on environmental implications, documented previous findings, challenges and mitigation measures, and future perspectives of landfill leachate management in Nigeria, and compares with global practice of leachate management. In Nigeria, there are only a few standard techniques of landfill leachate treatment. This resulted in severe environmental impacts that threaten human life, especially in the north-eastern part of the country. Vector-borne and water-related illnesses such as cholera, Dengue, Diarrhoea, Trachoma, typhoid, malaria etc, have become a major source of concern resulting from the leaching effect from landfills. Advanced treatment methods, including membrane filtration, trickling filters, and Batch and Sequencing-Batch Reactors (SBR) are used in some of the cities and private organizations in Nigeria. Most researchers in Nigeria have stressed the necessity to utilise efficient, cost-effective technology in landfill wastewater treatment. Despite this, landfill leachate has continued to have severe effects in Nigeria and the situation seems to be escalating, requiring further study.