Pretreatment of concentrated leachate by the combination of coagulation and catalytic ozonation with Ce/AC catalyst

Treatment of landfill leachate by coagulation: A review

Landfill leachate is a seriously polluted and hazardous liquid, which contains a high concentration of refractory organics, ammonia nitrogen, heavy metals, inorganic salts, and various suspended solids. The favorable disposal of landfill leachate has always been a hot and challenging issue in wastewater treatment. As one of the best available technologies for landfill leachate disposal, coagulation has been studied extensively. However, there is an absence of a systematic review regarding coagulation in landfill leachate treatment. In this paper, a review focusing on the characteristics, mechanisms, and application of coagulation in landfill leachate treatment was provided. Different coagulants and factors influencing the coagulation effect were synthetically summarized. The performance of coagulation coupled with other processes and their complementary advantages were elucidated. Additionally, the economic analysis conducted in this study suggests the cost-effectiveness of the coagulation process. Based on previous studies, challenges and perspectives met by landfill leachate coagulation treatment were also put forward. Overall, this review will provide a reference for the coagulation treatment of landfill leachate and promote the development of efficient and eco-friendly leachate treatment technology.

Effective treatment of leachate concentrate from waste incineration plant by combination of coagulation and direct contact evaporation

In order to verify that coagulation as pre-treatment can reduce the temperature of the hot air used for direct contact evaporating the leachate concentrate (LC) and low-grade waste heat such as exhaust steam in the waste incineration plant can be used to evaporate the LC. The supernatants after coagulation using polymerized ferrous sulfate (PFS), polymeric-aluminum (PAC), polymeric silicate aluminum ferric (PSAF) and poly-aluminum ferric chloride (PAFC) as coagulants were further treated in a lab-scale direct contact evaporation system. The results showed that the best performance with removal efficiencies of COD and NH3-N of 58.70% and 29.09% was achieved after coagulation when PAFC dosage = 15 g/L, PAM dosage = 30 mg/L and initial pH of supernatant = 6. After coagulation, a large amount of the fulvic-like acid and aromatic heterocyclic compounds were removed and the degree of complexity and aromaticity of organics decreased. After direct contact evaporation, using PAFC as coagulant still was the best selection due to its lowest concentrations of COD and NH3-N (22 mg/L and 1.02 mg/L) in the condensate produced by this two-stage treatment when initial pH of supernatant was 6 during evaporation and the condensate produced by this two-stage treatment met the water quality standard for using as supplying water for circulating cooling water system when temperature of hot air used for heating LC was at low temperature (250 °C). The fulvic-like acid and aromatic heterocyclic compounds in the condensate continuously reduced. Phenol, adamantane, 1-isocyanato, phthalic anhydrid, tri(2-chloroethyl) phosphat, Heptadecane, 2-methyl, ginsenol and Octadecane, 2-methyl- in the condensate obviously decreased. The effect of four coagulants as pretreatment on reducing the temperature of hot air used for evaporating LC was ranked as PAFC > PFS > PAC > PSAF. PSAF was not recommended due to the large amount of NH3-N produced when using PSAF to treat the LC.

Critical review with science mapping on the latest pre-treatment technologies of landfill leachate

The most frequent strategy for solid waste management, adopted across the globe is landfill. Through microbial decomposition municipal solid waste degrades, producing end products such as carbon dioxide, methane, volatile organic compounds, and leachate. High levels of organic waste and heavy metals content in leachate can cause pervasive damage to the ecosystem and contaminate groundwater. Leachate requires extensive treatment before being released into the environment because of its complex chemical composition and identifying the appropriate technologies for leachate treatment remains a key problem for municipal landfill operations. Given the possible harm caused by substantially contaminated leachate, it should adhere to stricter quality criteria for direct disposal of leachate and one treatment method cannot efficiently tackle all the pollutants. In order to reduce the landfill leachates high fouling power, pre-treatment of landfill leachate is necessary. The study provides a comprehensive review of pre-treatment technologies, as well as a critical assessment of strengths and limitations. Current review-based analysis was undertaken based on the filtered 395 papers published for science mapping and to evaluate the qualitative studies in the area of pre-treatment of Landfill Leachate till 2022. A three-step process was employed to conduct bibliometric analysis, qualitative valuation, and identification of influential and productive journals, countries, researchers and articles, emerging technology, and outlining some of the major research gaps in the research field.

Interactions between H2O2 and dissolved organic matter during granular activated carbon-based residual H2O2 quenching from the upstream UV/H2O2 process

Granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration can be employed to synchronously quench residual H₂O₂ from the upstream UV/H₂O₂ process and further degrade dissolved organic matter (DOM). In this study, rapid small-scale column tests (RSSCTs) were performed to clarify the mechanisms underlying the interactions between H₂O₂ and DOM during the GAC-based H₂O₂ quenching process. It was observed that GAC can catalytically decompose H₂O₂, with a long-lasting high efficiency (>80% for approximately 50,000 empty-bed volumes). DOM inhibited GAC-based H₂O₂ quenching via a pore-blocking effect, especially at high concentrations (10 mg/L), with the adsorbed DOM molecules being oxidized by the continuously generated ·OH; this further deteriorated the H₂O₂ quenching efficiency. In batch experiments, H₂O₂ could enhance DOM adsorption by GAC; however, in RSSCTs, it deteriorated DOM removal. This observation could be attributed to the different ·OH exposure in these two systems. It was also observed that aging with H₂O₂ and DOM altered the morphology, specific surface area, pore volume, and the surface functional groups of GAC, owing to the oxidation effect of H₂O₂ and ·OH on the GAC surface as well as the effect of DOM. Additionally, the changes in the content of persistent free radicals in the GAC samples were insignificant following different aging processes. This work contributes to enhancing understanding regarding the UV/H₂O₂-GAC filtration scheme, and promoting the application in drinking water treatment.

Hydrogen peroxide and peroxymonosulfate intensifying Fe-doped NiC-Al2O3-framework-based catalytic ozonation for advanced treatment of landfill leachate: Performance and mechanisms

The biotreated effluent of landfill leachate still contains numerous refractory organic contaminants, which poses potential threats to human health and ecosystems. Influenced by landfill ages and other factors, the concentration of organic matter varies. Heterogeneous catalytic ozonation (HCO) is a promising technology for advanced wastewater treatment. Aiming to achieve the up-to-standard discharge of low-concentration landfill leachate (COD ≈ 108 mg·L^-1) and improve the biodegradability of high-concentration landfill leachate (COD ≈ 1720 mg·L^-1), the active component Fe was incorporated into a firm Ni-induced C-Al₂O₃-framework (_NiCAF) composite support to synthesize a Fe-_NiCAF catalyst for efficient catalytic ozonation. When the Fe-_NiCAF dosage was 4 g·L^-1, the gas flow rate was 0.5 L·min^-1, and the ozone concentration was 20.0 mg·L^-1, the COD of low-concentration landfill leachate effluent decreased to 43 mg·L^-1, and the COD removal rate constant of low-concentration landfill leachate was 154% higher than that of pure ozone. For high-concentration landfill leachate with the BOD₅/COD of 0.058, the COD removal efficiency in Fe-_NiCAF/O₃ increased from 39% to 57% compared with ozonation, and the effluent BOD₅/COD increased to 0.282. Furthermore, the addition of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and peroxymonosulfate (PMS) can further enhance the treatment performance of Fe-_NiCAF/O₃ process and different strengthening mechanisms were revealed. The results indicated that surface hydroxyls on the Fe-_NiCAF catalyst surface were the main catalytic sites for ozone, and hydroxyl radical (•OH) and singlet oxygen (¹O₂) were identified as the main reactive oxygen species for the removal of organics in landfill leachate. Adding H₂O₂ can promote the generation of •OH for nonselective degradation of various organics, while PMS mainly enhanced the production of ¹O₂ to decompose macromolecular humus. This work highlighted an efficient Fe-_NiCAF ozone catalyst and an innovative peroxide intensified HCO strategy for the advanced treatment of landfill leachate.

Effect of Fulvic Acid in Landfill Leachate Membrane Concentrate on Evaporation Process

Landfill leachate membrane concentrate (LLMC) poses risks to the environment and is commonly treated by evaporation. As the main component of the dissolved organic matter in LLMC, fulvic acid (FA) was selected as a representative to investigate its effect on evaporation and the removal efficiency by pretreatment in this study. According to the water quality indexes and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra of LLMC samples collected from five landfills in China, the concentration of total organic carbon in LLMC was 700–2500 mg·L−1, in which FA accounted for 50–85%. The boiling point and viscosity of the configured FA-NaCl-Na2SO4 solution both increased significantly when FA was concentrated 20 times (approximately 30,000 mg·L−1). Due to the presence of FA, the violent frothing phenomenon appeared at above 70 °C in evaporation, and the solubility of CaSO4·2H2O in FA-NaCl-Na2SO4 solution was significantly lower than that without FA. All these results indicated that the high FA concentration in LLMC could lead to decreased heat transfer coefficient and evaporation capacity during evaporation. Therefore, the softening pretreatment including the addition of Ca(OH)2, Na2CO3, and coagulants was employed to reduce the hardness and FA concentration. After the softening experiments, the removal efficiency of FA was >95% for the configured LLMC sample, while for the actual LLMC sample collected from landfills, the removal efficiency of FA and chemical oxygen demand could reach >80% and about 30%, respectively. The remaining concentration of FA in LLMC was about 200 mg·L−1, and the recovery efficiency of clean water could be 90% in the evaporation process. This research has important guiding significance for the evaporation treatment of LLMC.

Role of Basic Surface Groups of Activated Carbon in Chlordecone and β-Hexachlorocyclohexane Adsorption: A Molecular Modelling Study

The influence of nitrogen-containing surface groups (SGs) onto activated carbon (AC) over the adsorption of chlordecone (CLD) and β-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH) was characterized by a molecular modelling study, considering pH (single protonated SGs) and hydration effect (up to three water molecules). The interactions of both pollutants with amines and pyridine as basic SGs of AC were studied, applying the multiple minima hypersurface (MMH) methodology and using PM7 semiempirical Hamiltonian. Representative structures from MMH were reoptimized using the M06-2X density functional theory. The quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) was used to characterize the interaction types in order understanding the adsorption process. A favorable association of both pesticides with the amines and pyridine SGs onto AC was observed at all pH ranges, both in the absence and presence of water molecules. However, a greater association of both pollutants with the primary amine was found under an acidic pH condition. QTAIM results show that the interactions of CLD and β-HCH with the SGs onto AC are governed by Cl···C interactions of chlorine atoms of both pesticides with the graphitic surface. Electrostatic interactions (H-bonds) were observed when water molecules were added to the systems. A physisorption mechanism is suggested for CLD and β-HCH adsorption on nitrogen-containing SGs of AC.

Treatment of leachate through constructed wetlands using Typha angustifolia in combination with catalytic ozonation on Fe-zeolite A

Leachate control and management is a major challenge faced during solid waste management as it may pollute surface and groundwaters. In the current research, constructed wetlands (CWs) vegetated with Typha angustifolia plant in combination with catalytic ozonation by ferrous (Fe)-coated zeolite A was studied for the treatment of leachate. The CWs treatment with 9 days detention reduced the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) up to 75.81% and 69.84%, respectively. Moreover, total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), and total kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) removal of 91.16%, 33.33%, and 25.22% were achieved, respectively. The Fe-coated zeolite A catalytic ozonation further reduced the COD up to 90.7%. Comparison of the processes showed the effective performance of the combined process (CW/O₃/Fe-zeolite) with 97.76% COD reduction of leachate. It is, therefore, concluded that the studied combined process (CW/O₃/Fe-zeolite A) was more efficient as compared with single ozonation and CW alone, hence it can be implied for the leachate treatment in real conditions.

Performance of dissolved organic matter removal from membrane bioreactor effluent by magnetic powdered activated carbon

Magnetic powdered activated carbon (Mag-PAC) was successfully developed and applied as an adsorbent for dissolved organic matter (DOM) removal from the effluent of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) using batch experiments. The results show that a coating of iron oxide particles is consistently distributed on the surface of powdered activated carbon (PAC), resulting in a decrease in the specific surface area and in the pH at the point of zero charge, even though the particle sizes of Mag-PAC and PAC were similar. A Mag-PAC dosage of 4 g/L exhibited efficient and fast DOM adsorption with a relatively short contact time of 5 min. The iron oxide coating on the surface of PAC may play an important role in the DOM removal efficiency. Temkin isotherm and pseudo-second order kinetic models well described the DOM adsorption, suggesting that the adsorption of DOM onto Mag-PAC could be mainly governed by a chemisorption mechanism. Humic acid- and fulvic acid-like compounds and aromatic DOM with molecular weights (MWs) between 2610 Da and 3030 Da were efficiently removed by Mag-PAC, whereas aromatic DOM with an MW of 1760 Da was poorly removed. Our results demonstrate that the application of Mag-PAC for DOM adsorption is attractive and yields benefits as a posttreatment system for MBR effluent due to its efficient and fast DOM adsorption.

Effective removal by coagulation of contaminants in concentrated leachate from municipal solid waste incineration power plants

Municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration is widely used in China. Concentrated leachate, containing high concentrations of pollutants, is an important type of secondary pollution produced in MSW incineration power plants and requires proper treatment. In this study, various coagulants were used to treat concentrated leachate from a nanofiltration (NF) membrane that treated leachate from an MSW incineration plant. The optimal coagulation condition was determined in this study. Under the optimal condition, removals of chemical oxygen demand, light absorbing substances (at 254 nm), total nitrogen, color and turbidity were 68.42%, 69.01%, 44.14%, 92.31% and 87.44%, respectively. Much of the refractory organic matter with relatively high molecular weight, aromaticity and humification degree was removed, and effluent had a lower molecular weight than raw NF concentrated leachate. Study also found that some parts of high molecular weight compounds from NF CL were removed by coagulation process, but the change of distribution of molecular weight was not outstanding. The NF concentrated leachate, both before and after coagulation, contained a large amount of chloride. Hence, a follow-up study should be conducted to find an effective additional processing that can remove organic matter using the high concentration of chloride in the NF concentrated leachate coagulation effluent. This study provides a theoretical basis for the treatment of concentrated leachate from MSW incineration power plants.

Efficient adsorption of benzoic acid from aqueous solution by nitrogen-containing activated carbon

Adsorption is an efficient treatment process to remove benzoic acid from aqueous solution. In this study, nitrogen-containing surface groups were introduced onto activated carbon (AC) surface by modification with ammonium hydroxide, ammonium carbonate, melamine or urea. The nitrogen-containing AC samples were characterized using N₂ adsorption-desorption, Boehm titration, determination of the pH of the point of zero charge (pH_pzc) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The adsorption of benzoic acid from aqueous solution by nitrogen-containing AC has been studied. The Langmuir model fitted the experimental data of equilibrium isotherms better than the Freundlich model. At initial solution pH 2.1, the adsorption capacity was closely related with the amount of pyridinic and pyrrolic N on the AC surface, which indicated these two nitrogen-containing groups played an important part in the adsorption process. The enhancement of adsorption capacity was due to the strengthened π-π dispersion force between benzoic acid and the AC basal plane. Since the surface charge of AC as well as the existence form of benzoic acid varied with solution pH value, the adsorption capacity was found to be highest at pH 3.8 and dropped sharply at higher or lower pH values.

Catalytic wet peroxide oxidation of benzoic acid over Fe/AC catalysts: Effect of nitrogen and sulfur co-doped activated carbon

The parent activated carbon (ACP) was modified with urea and thiourea to obtain N-doped activated carbon (ACN) and N, S co-doped activated carbon (ACNS), respectively. Iron supported on activated carbon (Fe/ACP, Fe/ACN and Fe/ACNS) were prepared and worked as catalyst for catalytic wet peroxide oxidation of benzoic acid (BA). The catalysts were characterized by N₂ adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscope (TEM), and their performance was evaluated in terms of benzoic acid and TOC removal. The results indicated the doped N and S improved the adsorption capacity as well as catalytic activity of activated carbon. Besides, the catalytic activity toward benzoic acid degradation was found to be enhanced by Fe/ACNS compared to that of Fe/ACP and Fe/ACN. The enhanced catalytic performance was attributed to the presence of the nitrogen and sulfur atoms may serve to improve the relative amount of Fe²⁺ on iron oxide surface and also help prevent leaching of Fe. It was also observed that the stability or reutilization of Fe/ACNS catalyst was fairly good.

Magnetic core–shell-structured Fe3O4@CeO2 as an efficient catalyst for catalytic wet peroxide oxidation of benzoic acid

A magnetic core–shell-structured Fe₃O₄@CeO₂ catalyst was prepared by a simple solvothermal method and applied in the solid state for catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) of benzoic acid. The obtained catalyst was characterized by N₂ adsorption–desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), magnetic measurements, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The experimental results showed that Fe₃O₄@CeO₂ possessed superior catalytic efficiency for CWPO of benzoic acid than that of Fe₃O₄. The high catalytic activity was caused by a synergistic effect between Fe₃O₄ and CeO₂, which assisted the decomposition of H₂O₂ into hydroxyl radicals (·OH). Fe₃O₄@CeO₂ exhibited low Fe leaching of 4.2 mg L⁻¹, which approximately accounted for barely 0.76% of the total Fe amount in the catalyst. The effects of radical scavengers indicated that benzoic acid was degraded mainly by ·OH attack, which occurred both in the bulk solution and on the Fe₃O₄@CeO₂ surface. In the stability tests, there was loss of merely 4% in the benzoic acid removal rate after six cycles of reaction, and the saturation magnetization of Fe₃O₄@CeO₂ hardly changed, which suggested that the Fe₃O₄@CeO₂ catalyst was fairly effective in reutilization and stability.

Benzoic acid was degraded mainly by ·OH generated by the reaction of Fe²⁺ and Ce³⁺ species with H₂O₂.

Advanced treatment of landfill leachate membrane concentrates: performance comparison, biosafety and toxic residue analysis

With the improvement of people's consciousness about health, more attention has been paid to the biosafety of effluent reaching conventional discharge standard. In this contribution, removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD), acute toxicity, genotoxicity and estrogenicity in landfill leachate membrane concentrates (MCs) among UV-Fenton, Fenton and activated carbon adsorption process were compared. Daphnia magna acute toxicity assay, comet assay, cytokinesis-block micronucleus and E-screen assay were performed to assess whether the effluent reaching the main parameters of Chinese Discharge Standard (GB 16889-2008) still had toxic residues. Under the conditions that COD of effluents treated by the three processes were up to the discharge standard, no obvious toxic residue was found in the effluent of UV-Fenton treatment, but effluent from Fenton or activated carbon adsorption process showed genotoxicity or estrogenicity to some extent. Dynamic analysis of UV-Fenton degradation process for estrogen simulation solutions was also conducted, and the formation of intermediates was detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Toxic residues might be caused by the lack of treatment duration and the formation of more toxic intermediates. UV-Fenton was found to be efficient for the treatment of MCs. Biosafety should be concerned when a new wastewater discharge standard is being established.

Mercury (II) adsorption from aqueous solution using nitrogen and sulfur co-doped activated carbon

Activated carbon (AC) was modified with urea, thioglycolic acid and thiourea to obtain nitrogen doped activated carbon (ACN), sulfur doped activated carbon (ACS) and nitrogen and sulfur co-doped activated carbon (ACNS), respectively. The AC samples were characterized by elemental analysis, N₂ adsorption-desorption, determination of the pH of the point of zero charge (pH_pzc) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and tested for adsorption behaviors of Hg(II) ions. The experimental data of equilibrium isotherms fitted well with the Langmuir model. ACNS showed the highest adsorption capacity of 511.78 mg/g, increasing more than 2.5 times compared to the original ACA. The adsorption process followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. The thermodynamic parameters of ΔH°, ΔS°, and ΔG° at 30 °C were -20.57 kJ/mol, -0.032 kJ/mol K and -10.87 kJ/mol, respectively. It was concluded that the Hg(II) ions' adsorption on ACNS was exothermic, spontaneous and physiosorptive in nature. Finally, the adsorption capacity of ACNS reduced by just 8.13% even after the sixth cycle compared to the initial cycle.

Effective removal of contaminants in landfill leachate membrane concentrates by coagulation

Leachate membrane concentrates containing high concentrations of organics and trace toxic compounds pose a major threat to the environment, and their treatment is an urgent issue. In this work, various coagulants were used to treat leachate membrane concentrates. Appropriate pH values for treatments with FeCl₂, FeSO₄, polyaluminum chloride, and FeCl₃ were 3, 5, 5, and 4, respectively. FeCl₃ achieved the highest total organic carbon (TOC) removal efficiency. The effect of the various anions in ferric coagulants [FeCl₃, Fe₂(SO₄)₃, and Fe(NO₃)₃] on the TOC removal efficiency was negligible. The main organics remaining in the leachate membrane concentrates after coagulation were humic and fulvic acids. The conditions for coagulation with FeCl₃ were optimized using the response surface method (RSM). The highest TOC, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and chromaticity reduction efficiencies, 81%, 82%, and 97%, respectively, were achieved at pH 4 using FeCl₃ (5 g L^-1) and polyacrylamide (PAM; 0.07 g L^-1). The COD of leachate membrane concentrates was reduced from 4000 to 718 mg L^-1. The mole ratio of removed COD and Fe(III) (2.4 mol) at 5 g L^-1 FeCl₃ (pH 4, PAM 0.07 g L^-1) was lower than that (3.8 mol) at 3 g L^-1 FeCl₃ (pH 4, PAM 0.07 g L^-1); based on the cost and COD removal efficiency, the latter conditions were the best choice. Our work provides guidelines for the treatment of leachate membrane concentrates in engineering.