0000000000286261
AUTHOR
Riitta H. Kettunen
Occurrence and removal of organic pollutants in sewages and landfill leachates
Sewages of different composition and the effluents of four sewage treatment plants (STPs), plus sewage sludges were analysed for semivolatile organic priority pollutants. Furthermore, 11 landfill leachates were analysed to evaluate their contribution to sewage pollutants when co-treated. Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) was the pollutant occurring at highest concentrations (up to 122 microg/l) and it was present in all sewages and leachates; concentrations of other phthalates were usually below 17 microg/l. Some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) (<1 microg/l) and 2,6-dinitrotoluene (< or =5.9 microg/l) were also present in many of the sewages and leachates. Phthalates were present in…
Screening of physical–chemical methods for removal of organic material, nitrogen and toxicity from low strength landfill leachates
Physical-chemical methods have been suggested for the treatment of low strength municipal landfill leachates. Therefore, applicability of nanofiltration and air stripping were screened in laboratory-scale for the removal of organic matter, ammonia, and toxicity from low strength leachates (NH4-N 74-220 mg/l, chemical oxygen demand (COD) 190-920 mg O2/l, EC50 = 2-17% for Raphidocelis subcapitata). Ozonation was studied as well, but with the emphasis on enhancing biodegradability of leachates. Nanofiltration (25 degrees C) removed 52-66% of COD and 27-50% of ammonia, the latter indicating that ammonia may in part have been present as ammonium salt complexes. Biological pretreatment enhanced t…
Anaerobic and sequential anaerobic-aerobic treatments of municipal landfill leachate at low temperatures
Abstract Anaerobic treatment of municipal landfill leachate (COD 1–4 g l −1 , NH 4 -N c. 0.16 g l −1 ) was studied at 11 and 24°C by using laboratory-scale UASB and hybrid reactors. Aerobic post-treatment of the anaerobically treated leachate was also studied at 24°C using an activated-sludge process. In the 11°C reactors, a COD removal of up to 60–65% was obtained with 1.5-2 day HRT and 0.7-1.5 kg COD m −3 day −1 organic loading rates. At 24°C, a COD removal of up to 75% was achieved with a 10 h HRT. The highest organic loading rate applied was 10 kg COD m −3 day −1 at 24°C. Inorganic material accumulated in the reactor sludges at both temperatures. However, the specific methanogenic activ…
Biological nitrogen removal from municipal landfill leachate: low-cost nitrification in biofilters and laboratory scale in-situ denitrification.
The slow leaching of nitrogen from solid waste in landfills, resulting in high concentrations of ammonia in the landfill leachate, may last for several decades. The removal of nitrogen from leachate is desirable as nitrogen can trigger eutrophication in lakes and rivers. In the present study, a low-cost nitrification-denitrification process was developed to reduce nitrogen load especially in leachates from small landfills. Nitrification was studied in laboratory and on-site pilot aerobic biofilters with waste materials as filter media (crushed brick in upflow filters and bulking agent of compost in a downflow filter) while denitrification was studied in a laboratory anoxic/anaerobic column …
Methane and leachate pollutant emission potential from various fractions of municipal solid waste (MSW): effects of source separation and aerobic treatment.
The effects of source-separation of putrescibles as well as aerobic pre-treatment and landfill aeration on the pollutant emission potential of methane and leachate pollutants were studied in the fresh (PFMSW) and composted (CPFMSW) source-separated putrescible fraction of municipal solid waste, and in the grey waste, and in lysimeter landfilled grey waste and ten-year-old unsorted MSW from our landfill lysimeter study. After 0, 23 and 51 days, an aerobic lysimeter experiment, an elution test and biochemical methane potential (BMP) test was done on samples. PFMSW had high methane (CH4) potential (410 m3CH4 t-1TS) as well as a high amount of ammonium-nitrogen (3.6 kg NH4-N) was eluted, where…
Removal of bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate at a sewage treatment plant
Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) concentrations were measured at different stages in a full-scale sewage treatment plant (STP) and mass balances were calculated. The DEHP load to treatment process coming from the sewer system and the internal load comprising returned supernatants and filtrate from sludge treatment and excess secondary sludge were at the same level. The DEHP removal efficiency from the water phase at the STP was on average 94% of sewage DEHP, the main removal process being sorption to primary and secondary sludges. On average 29% of DEHP was calculated to be removed in the biological nitrifying-denitrifying activated sludge process, which was much less than expected from l…
Evaluation of the current status of operating and closed landfills in Russia, Finland and Ireland with regard to water pollution and methane emission
The annual production of municipal solid wastes (MSW) in Russia, Finland and Ireland in the late 1990s accounts for 37.5, 2.5 and 2.05 mln. tonnes or 252, 488 and 566 kg per capita, respectively. 96.5, 64 and 91% of these wastes (for Russia, Finland and Ireland, correspondingly) are currently disposed of via landfilling. However, nowadays, MSW management in these countries is undergoing drastic changes (source separation, closure of old landfills, reduction of the number of landfills etc.) forced by recent legislation set by the European Union and Russian authorities. This paper evaluates the current status of MSW landfills, as well as information on current leachate and methane emissions i…
Nitrification of anaerobically pretreated municipal landfill leachate at low temperature
Abstract Nitrification of anaerobically pretreated municipal landfill leachate (270–1000 mg COD l −1 , 53–270 mg NH 4 –N l −1 ) was studied in laboratory-scale activated sludge reactors without (AS) and with (ASC) the addition of plastic carrier material. The reactors were run at 10°C (149 d), 7°C (21 d) and 5°C (16 d). With a loading rate of 0.027 g NH 4 –N g MLVSS −1 d −1 and a hydraulic retention time of ca. 3 d, at 10°C, complete nitrification was obtained in both reactors. At 7°C, and in loading rate of 0.023 g NH 4 –N g MLVSS −1 d −1 , both reactors appeared to be overloaded and ammonium removal was only ca. 93%. At 5°C, with a lower loading rate of 0.010 g NH 4 –N g MLVSS −1 d −1 …
Responses of methane oxidation to temperature and water content in cover soil of a boreal landfill
Abstract Methane oxidation in a cover soil of a landfill located in a boreal climate was studied at temperatures ranging from 1–19 °C and with water content of 7–34% of dry weight (dw), corresponding to 17–81% of water-holding capacity (WHC) in order to better understand the factors regulating CH 4 oxidation at low temperatures. CH 4 consumption was detected at all the temperatures studied (1–19 °C) and an increase in CH 4 consumption rate in consecutive incubations was obtained even at 1 °C, indicating activation or increase in enzymes and/or microorganisms responsible for CH 4 oxidation. CH 4 consumption was reduced with low water content (17%WHC) at all temperatures. The response of CH 4…