Denitrification capacity in response to increasing nitrate loads and decreasing organic carbon contents in injected leachate of a simulated landfill reactor

Denitrification of low C/N landfill leachate in lab-scale landfill simulation bioreactors

Old landfill leachate can be characterized by high ammonia nitrogen concentrations and limited biodegradable carbon availability. A promising and cost-effective option for ammonia nitrogen removal involves ex situ nitrification and in situ denitrification. This study aimed to investigate the denitrification capacity of old MSW in six landfill bioreactors with very low COD/NO₃^--N mass ratios that ranged between 0.12 and 3.99 g/g. In particular, this study is novel in that it tested COD/NO₃^--N mass ratios lower than previous studies. The experiment lasted 83 days. The results showed that denitrification occurred in all bioreactors and even at considerably low concentrations of biodegradable organic matter (BOD₅ ≤ 9 mg O₂/L). In all but one case, when nitrate removal stopped at 55% due to the absence of leachate recirculation, nitrate removal was higher than 95%. The average nitrate removal rates (ANRRs), calculated under significantly different conditions, ranged from 33 to 135 mg NO₃^--N/L/d. The initial COD concentration and COD/NO₃^--N ratio did not appear to affect the ANRRs, which were influenced by the initial nitrate concentration and leachate recirculation. The maximum ANRR (135 mg NO₃^--N/L/d) was measured with the highest initial nitrate concentration (4491 mg NO₃^--N/L) and the lowest COD/NO₃^--N mass ratio (0.12 g COD/g NO₃^--N). The lowest ANRR (33 mg NO₃^--N/L/d) was calculated for a bioreactor with no leachate recirculation. Sulphate production observed in some bioreactors may suggest that, together with the heterotrophic pathway, autotrophic denitrification contributed to the removal of nitrate, especially in bioreactors with low COD/NO₃^--N mass ratio.

Digestate application in landfill bioreactors to remove nitrogen of old landfill leachate

Anaerobic digestion of organics is one of the most used solution to gain renewable energy from waste and the final product, the digestate, still rich in putrescible components and nutrients, is mainly considered for reutilization (in land use) as a bio-fertilizer or a compost after its treatment. Alternative approaches are recommended in situations where conventional digestate management practices are not suitable. Aim of this study was to develop an alternative option to use digestate to enhance nitrified leachate treatment through a digestate layer in a landfill bioreactor. Two identical landfill columns (Ra and Rb) filled with the same solid digestate were set and nitrified leachate was used as influent. Ra ceased after 75 day's operation to get solid samples and calculate the C/N mass balance while Rb was operated for 132 days. Every two or three days, effluent from the columns were discarded and the columns were refilled with nitrified leachate (average N-NO₃^-concentration = 1,438 mg-N/L). N-NO₃^- removal efficiency of 94.7% and N-NO₃^- removal capacity of 19.2 mg N-NO₃^-/gTS-digestate were achieved after 75 days operation in Ra. Prolonging the operation to 132 days in Rb, N-NO₃^- removal efficiency and N-NO₃^- removal capacity were 72.5% and 33.1 mg N-NO₃^-/gTS-digestate, respectively. The experimental analysis of the process suggested that 85.4% of nitrate removal could be attributed to denitrification while the contribution percentage of adsorption was 14.6%. These results suggest that those solid digestates not for agricultural or land use, could be used in landfill bioreactors to remove the nitrogen from old landfill leachate.

Characterization and control of odorous gases at a landfill site: a case study in Hangzhou, China

Municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills are one of the major sources of offensive odors potentially creating annoyance in adjacent communities. At the end of May 2007, an odor pollution incident occurred at the Tianziling landfill site, Hangzhou, China, where the residents lodged complaints about the intense odor from the landfill, which drew a significant attention from the government. In this study, ambient air monitoring was conducted at the Tianziling landfill site. The main odor composition of the gas samples collected on June 1st 2007 and the reduction of various odorous gases from the samples collected on June 1st 2009 due to the applied odor control techniques were determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In addition, variations of primary odorous gaseous (NH(3) and H(2)S) concentrations at different locations in the landfill site from July 2007 to June 2009 were also investigated by using classical spectrophotometric methods. Results showed that a total of 68 volatile compounds were identified among which H(2)S (56.58-579.84 μg/m(3)) and NH(3) (520-4460 μg/m(3)) were the notable odor components contributing to 4.47-10.92% and 83.91-93.94% of total concentrations, respectively. Similar spatial and temporal shifts of H(2)S and NH(3) concentrations were observed and were significantly affected by environmental factors including temperature, air pressure and wind direction. Odor pollution was worse when high temperature, high humidity, low air pressure, and southeast, northeast or east wind appeared. Moreover, the environmental sampling points of the dumping area and the leachate treatment plant were found to be the main odor sources at the Tianziling landfill site. The odor control technologies used in this project had a good mitigating effect on the primary odorous compounds. This study provides long-term valuable information concerning the characteristics and control of odors at landfill sites in a long run.

Microbial nitrogen transformation potential in surface run-off leachate from a tropical landfill

Ammonium is one of the major toxic compounds and a critical long-term pollutant in landfill leachate. Leachate from the Jatibarang landfill in Semarang, Indonesia, contains ammonium in concentrations ranging from 376 to 929mgNL(-1). The objective of this study was to determine seasonal variation in the potential for organic nitrogen ammonification, aerobic nitrification, anaerobic nitrate reduction and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) at this landfilling site. Seasonal samples from leachate collection treatment ponds were used as an inoculum to feed synthetic media to determine potential rates of nitrogen transformations. Aerobic ammonium oxidation potential (<0.06mgNL(-1)h(-1)) was more than a hundred times lower than the anaerobic nitrogen transformation processes and organic nitrogen ammonification, which were of the same order of magnitude. Anaerobic nitrate oxidation did not proceed beyond nitrite; isolates grown with nitrate as electron acceptor did not degrade nitrite further. Effects of season were only observed for aerobic nitrification and anammox, and were relatively minor: rates were up to three times higher in the dry season. To completely remove the excess ammonium from the leachate, we propose a two-stage treatment system to be implemented. Aeration in the first leachate pond would strongly contribute to aerobic ammonium oxidation to nitrate by providing the currently missing oxygen in the anaerobic leachate and allowing for the growth of ammonium oxidisers. In the second pond the remaining ammonium and produced nitrate can be converted by a combination of nitrate reduction to nitrite and anammox. Such optimization of microbial nitrogen transformations can contribute to alleviating the ammonium discharge to surface water draining the landfill.