Efficient and selective removal of Pb(Ⅱ) from landfill leachate using L-serine-modified polyethylene/polypropylene nonwoven fabric synthesized via radiation grafting technique

In this study,to efficiently remove Pb(Ⅱ) from aqueous environments,a novel L-serine-modified polyethylene/polypropylene nonwoven fabric sorbent(NWF-serine)was fabricated through the radiation grafting of glycidyl methacrylate and subsequent L-serine modification.The effect of the absorbed dose was investigated in the range of 5–50 kGy.NWF-serine was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,thermogravimetric analysis,and scanning electron microscopy.Batch adsorption tests were conducted to investigate the influences of pH,adsorption time,temperature,initial concentration,and sorbent dosage on the Pb(Ⅱ) adsorption performance of NWF-serine.The results indicated that Pb(Ⅱ) adsorption onto NWF-serine was an endothermic process,following the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm model.The saturated adsorption capacity was 198.1 mg/g.NWF-serine exhibited Pb(Ⅱ) removal rates of 99.8% for aqueous solutions with initial concentrations of 100 mg/L and 82.1% for landfill leachate containing competitive metal ions such as Cd,Cu,Ni,Mn,and Zn.Furthermore,NWF-serine maintained 86% of its Pb(Ⅱ) uptake after five use cycles.The coordination of the carboxyl and amino groups with Pb(Ⅱ) was confirmed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and extended X-ray absorption fine structure analysis.

Detection of Endocrine Disruptors in Water around Landfills

[Objectives]This study was conducted to explore the occurrence levels of endocrine disruptors(EDCs)in rural areas around a county landfill in Tongren City.[Methods]The water around the landfill was sampled and analyzed.A solid-phase extraction and high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(SPE-UPLC-MS/MS)method was established for the determination of 27 EDCs.After the HLB solid-phase extraction column was activated,a water sample,which was adjusted with phosphoric acid to a pH of 2(±0.5)and added with 500 mg of disodium EDTA,was loaded,and 5 ml of water and 20%methanol water was added for washing.Next,10 ml of elution solution was added for elution,and the collected eluate was evaporated under reduced pressure at 40℃to near dryness,and 1 ml of reconstitution solution was added to a constant volume.An ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18(100×2.1 mm,2.6μm)chromatographic column was adopted for LC separation by gradient elution with pure water solution-acetonitrile as the mobile phase.For MS detection,the MRM mode was adopted for collection,and the positive and negative ion modes were switched for simultaneous determination,and the internal standard method was used for quantification.[Results]The correlation coefficient R2 was greater than 0.99 in the linear range of each target substance.The limits of quantitation in the method were between 0.05 and 2.00 ng/L,and the recoveries ranged from 75.3%to 105.7%.[Conclusions]The method has high sensitivity,good accuracy and strong practical value.

Study on Detection of Antibiotic Contents in Water around Landfill Sites

[Objectives] An ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was established for simultaneous determination of 26 antibiotics in the water around landfills. [Methods] After an HLB solid-phase extraction column was activated, and a water sample, which was adjusted with phosphoric acid to a pH of (2±0.5) and added with 500 mg of disodium EDTA, was loaded, and 5 ml of water and 20% methanol water was added for washing. Next, 10 ml of elution solution was added for elution, and the collected eluate was evaporated under reduced pressure at 40 ℃ to near dryness, and 1 ml of reconstitution solution was added to a constant volume. An ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 (100 mm×2.1 mm, 2.6 μm) chromatographic column was adopted for LC separation by gradient elution with 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution-acetonitrile as the mobile phase. For MS detection, the MRM mode was adopted for collection, and the positive and negative ion modes were switched for simultaneous determination, and the internal standard method was used for quantification. [Results] The correlation coefficient R2 was greater than 0.99 in the linear range of each target substance. The limits of detection ranged from 0.15 to 3.00 ng/L, and the limits of quantitation were between 0.80 and 10.00 ng/L, and the recoveries ranged from 77.9% to 104.85%. [Conclusions] The method has high sensitivity, good accuracy and strong practical value.

Bird Habitats in Urban Environments: A Case from an Urban Landfill in and around Tayba Al Hasanab Landfill, Khartoum, Sudan

Managed open landfill sites can serve as crucial feeding grounds for birds. Studies have demonstrated that garbage dumps offer favorable feeding habitats for various trophic generalist species, including storks and scavenger raptors. This study aimed to assess bird diversity and abundance in and around Tayba Al Hasanab Landfill, Khartoum. A bird census was conducted using block counts in January 2021. A questionnaire complemented field observations, and interviews were conducted with landfill authorities and waste collectors to gather information on bird availability, numbers, and diversity. During the block counts, 23 bird species were recorded inside and around the landfill. These species directly relied on food resources available at and around the landfill, belonging to 8 orders and 11 families. The four most abundant species foraging at the landfill were Sparrow House (Passer domesticus) with 97 individuals, Black kite (Milvus migrans) with 67 individuals, cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) with 42 individuals, and Laughing Dove (Spilopelia senegalensis) with 36 individuals. This suggests that these species are the primary exploiters of food resources at the landfill. The results indicate that all species are considered least concerned except the Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus), which is classified as endangered. Most of the interviewed individuals reported seeing birds in the study area. The study recorded instances of dead birds, such as a white stork colliding and being electrocuted with a transition line observed at different sites along transmission lines near the landfill. Surveys around Tayba landfill need to be conducted to identify deadly power lines for replacement or implement possible mitigation measures on power lines running parallel and close to the Tayba landfills. The avian community foraging at the landfill displayed fluctuations in abundance and interspecific interactions across seasons. Given that the substantial influx of birds to landfills can pose various environmental challenges in urban settings, this study underscores the significance of examining the seasonal dynamics of bird communities concerning the location and management of landfills.

Estimation of Landfill Gas and Its Renewable Energy Potential from the Polesgo Controlled Landfill Using First-Order Decay (FOD) Models

Methane generation in landfills and its inadequate management represent the major avoidable source of anthropogenic methane today. This paper models methane production and the potential resources expected (electrical energy production and potential carbon credits from avoided CH4 emissions) from its proper management in a municipal solid waste landfill located in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The modeling was carried out using two first-order decay (FOD) models (LandGEM V3.02 and SWANA) using parameters evaluated on the basis of the characteristics of the waste admitted to the landfill and weather data for the site. At the same time, production data have been collected since 2016 in order to compare them with the model results. The results obtained from these models were compared to experimental one. For the simulation of methane production, the SWANA model showed better consistency with experimental data, with a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.59 compared with the LandGEM model, which obtained a coefficient of 0.006. Thus, despite the low correlation values linked to the poor consistency of experimental data, the SWANA model models methane production much better than the LandGEM model. Thus, despite the low correlation values linked to the poor consistency of the experimental data, the SWANA model models methane production much better than the LandGEM V3.02 model. It was noted that the poor consistency of the experimental data justifies these low coefficients, and that they can be improved in the future thanks to ongoing in situ measurements. According to the SWANA model prediction, in 27 years of operation a biogas plant with 33% electrical efficiency using biogas from the Polesgo landfill would avoid 1,340 GgCO2e. Also, the evaluation of revenues due to electricity and carbon credit gave a total revenue derived from methane production of US$27.38 million at a cost of US$10.5/tonne CO2e.

Removal of high concentrated ammonia nitrogen from landfill leachate by landfilled waste layer

The landfill of municipal solid waste(MSW) could be regarded as denitrification reactor and involved in ammonia nitrogen biological removal process. In this research, the process was applied to municipal solid waste collected in Shanghai, China, which was characterized by high food waste content. The NH + 4 removal efficiency in the system of SBR nitrifying reactor followed by fresh and matured landfilled waste layer in series was studied. In the nitrifying reactor, above 90% of NH + 4 in leachate was oxidized to NO - 2 and NO - 3. Then high concentrated NO - 2 and NO - 3 were removed in the way of denitrification process in fresh landfilled waste layer. At the same time, degradation of fresh landfilled waste was accelerated. Up to the day 120, 136.5 gC/(kg dry waste) and 17.9 gN/(kg dry waste) were converted from waste layer. It accounted for 50.15% and 86.89% of the total carbon and nitrogen content of preliminary fresh waste, which was 4.42 times and 5.17 times higher than that of reference column respectively. After filtering through matured landfilled waste, BOD 5 concentration in leachate dropped to below 100 mg/L, which would not affect following nitrification adversely. Because the matured landfilled waste acted as a well methanogenic reactor, 23% of carbon produced accumulatively from fresh landfilled waste degradation was converted into CH 4.

Assessing Geotechnical Risks in the Frame of Landfill Engineering in Eastern Europe

The planning of waste management facilities requires a study of design altematives including economic and environmental aspects to determine the optimal solution. Both landfill design and engineering are based on a geotechnical risk assessment namely in terms of the stability of the subsoil, the potential of mechanical deformation of the landfill body, and the stability of the interim and final cover considering also seismic events. This contribution introduces sites located in Romania and Estonia with a special focus on the geotechnical risk assessment in the design and construction of new landfills and the closure of old landfills. During the closure of a landfill an appropriate development of the interim cover is of high relevance for the remediation of old landfills, since the settlement processes in the landfill body must be decayed before the final cover can be applied. Depending on the proportion of biodegradable waste in the landfill body, the degree of compaction of the waste as well as the alteration and degree of mineralisation, the degree of the settlements can account for 5 to 15% of the landfill body height. The major settlements can generally last up to three years, depending on the organic inventory of the landfill. The examples from landfill engineering in Estonia and Romania illustrate the relevance of geotechnical assessments during the design phase of a landfill or a landfill closure as well as during the construction period.

Evolution on qualities of leachate and landfill gas in the semi-aerobic landfill

To study the characteristics of stabilization in semi-aerobic landfill, large-scale simulated landfill was constructed based on the semi- aerobic landfill theory. Consequently, the concentrations of chemical oxygen demand （COD）, ammonia nitrogen, and nitrite nitrogen, and the pH value in leachate, as well as the component contents of landfill gas composition （methane, carbon dioxide, and oxygen） in landfill were regularly monitored for 52 weeks. The restflts showed that COD and ammonia concentrations declined rapidly and did not show the accumulating rule like anaerobic landfill, and remained at about 300 and 100 mg/L, respectively, after 48 weeks. Meanwhile, the descending rate reached 98.9% and 96.9%, respectively. Nitrate concentration increased rapidly after 24 weeks and fluctuated between 220-280 mg/L after 43 weeks. The pH values were below 7 during the first 8 weeks and after that leachates appeared to be alkaline. Carbon dioxide was the main composition in landfill gas and its concentration remained at a high level through the whole stabilization process. The average contents of carbon dioxide, oxygen, and methane varied between 19 vol.%-28 vol.%, 2 vol.%-8 vol.%, and 5 vol.%-13 vol.%, respectively. A relative equilibrium was reached after 48 weeks. The highest temperature in the landfill chamber could amount to 75.8 degrees centigrade.

H_2S removal in landfill leachate treatment using UASB reactor

Leachate from a sanitary landfill site in Chengdu, China is treated using a hybrid-UASB reactor at pilot scale. H2S, resulting from the anaerobic bioconversion process of sulfate-reducing bacteria（SRB）, inhibits the growth and activity of methane-producing bacteria（MPB）and poses serious problems of pollution, so FeCl3is used for H2S removal. The results show that the system performs well in the treatment process. COD removal generally increases with the increase in the organic loading rate（OLR）, while the sulfate removal decreases slowly. As the OLR is higher than 7 kgCOD/（m3·d）, both COD and sulfate removal tend to be stable. When the reactor is operated at the design load of 9 kgCOD/（m3·d）, COD and sulfate removal remain about 79% and 91%, respectively. At the same time, the percentage of COD removed by SRB（CODSRB）also decreases from 8.9% to 4.0%. With FeCl3 addition, COD removal increases to 83%, while sulfate removal and CODSRBfurther decrease to 89% and 1.89%, respectively. According to the mass balance, nearly 82% of the sulfur is prevented from converting into H2S. Moreover, when the FeCl3 dosage is more than 1.6 g/L leachate, H2S can be removed totally from the biogas. Therefore, the application of FeCl3 for H2S removal in leachate treatment using the UASB reactor is very suitable and viable.

Environmental factors affecting growth of grasses，herbs and woody plants on a sanitary landfill

The present study aims at studying relationships between various environmental factors andplant performance on a completed sanitary landfill. Three sites were chosen for comparison: an on-sitelow landfill gas region with a rich vegetation growth (Site L) , an on-site high landfill gas region with apoor vegetation growth (Site H), an off site control region (Site N) which located close to the GinDrinkers' Bay landfill. In Site H, where the levels of methane and carbon dioxide were higher, growth oftrees, shrubs and climbing plants are adversely affected, but not herbs and grasses. Analysis of correla-tion coefficient indicated that carbon dioxide and methane showed a negative correlation with the growth oftrees and shrubs. In Site H, the higher levels of conductivity, Kjeldah-N, Ammonium-N, and variousheavy metals, such as Mn were also exerted their adverse effect on plant growth. Trees tolerant to land-fill gas , e. g. Acacia confusa . would be a better choice for planting on sanitary landfills , in addition to theuse of shallow-rooted trees. Grasses and herbs are less susceptible to landfill gas due to their shallow-rootsystems. Hydroseeding of grasses would ensure a better plant coverage in areas with a moderate level oflandfill gas. Installation of a ventilation system might be needed for areas with a high level of landfill gas.

Application of Landfill Composed of Biogas Residue and Slurry in Cherry Production

In order to explore the effects of landfill composed of biogas residue and slurry on the improvement of soil nutrients and cherry fruit yield, three treatments： control （no landfill）, landfilling with biogas residue and water （BR）, landfilling with biogas residue and slurry （BS） were conducted in a cherry orchard. The results showed that compared with the control, soil water content around the landfills with a radius of 60 cm within 30 d was increased in BR and BS treatments. The poment- age of short shoots and the total number of shoots of cherry trees were also signif- icantly increased by BR and BS treatments; the cherry fruit yield per tree and the single-fruit weight in BS treatment were increased by 21.76% and 28.89%, respec- tively. In addition, BS treatment obviously improved the contents of soil organic matter, soil available nitrogen, s0il available phosphorus, soil available potassium and other nutrients. The positive effects of BR treatment on the improvement of soil nutrients and cherry fruit yield were lower than those of BS treatment, indicating that the combined use of biogas residue and biogas slurry as landfill can improve the soil water and fertilizer status in orchards, and thus can be promoted in the cultivation of fruit trees.

Characteristics of dissolved organic matter(DOM) in leachate with different landfill ages

The main objective of the study was to investigate the characteristics of dissolved organic matter （DOM） in leachate with different landfill ages through the chemical, spectroscopic, and elemental analysis. Humic acid （HA）, fulvic acid （FA）, and hydrophilic （HyI） fractions were isolated and purified by the XAD-8 resin combined with the cation exchange resin method. The analytical results of fluorescence excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy （EEMs） revealed that the fluorescence peaks were protein-like fluorescence for young landfill leachate, while the fluorescence peaks for medium and old landfill leachate were humic-like and fulvic-like fluorescence, respectively. Elemental analysis showed that carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen content decreased with landfill age, while the oxygen content increased. Moreover, the nitrogen content in these isolated fractions followed： HA 〉 HyI 〉 FA. The results of elemental analysis, FT-IR, and fluorescence EEMs also confirmed that aromatic carbons and portions of aliphatic functional groups were more abundant in leachate samples with increasing landfill age.

Advanced landfill leachate treatment using a two-stage UASB-SBR system at low temperature

A two-stage upflow anaerobic sludge blanket （UASB） and sequencing batch reactor （SBR） system was introduced to treat landfill leachate for advanced removal of COD and nitrogen at low temperature. In order to improve the total nitrogen （TN） removal efficiency and to reduce the COD requirement for denitrification, the raw leachate with recycled SBR nitrification supematant was pumped into the first-stage UASB （UASB1） to achieve simultaneous denitrification and methanogenesis. The results showed that UASB1 played an important role in COD removal and UASB2 and SBR further enhanced the nutrient removal efficiency. When the organic loading rates of UASB1, UASB2 and SBR were 11.95, 1.63 and 1.29 kg COD/（m^3.day）, respectively, the total COD removal efficiency of the whole system reached 96.7%. The SBR acted as the real undertaker for NH4^＋-N removal due to aerobic nitrification. The system obtained about 99.7% of NH4^＋-N removal efficiency at relatively low temperature （14.9-10.9℃）. More than 98.3% TN was removed through complete denitrification in UASB 1 and SBR. In addition, temperature had a significant effect on the rates of nitrification and denitrification rather than the removal of TN and NH4^＋-N once the complete nitrification and denitrification were achieved.

Nitrite Accumulation during the Denitrification Process in SBR for the Treatment of Pre-treated Landfill Leachate

The nitrite accumulation in the denitrification process is investigated with sequencing batch reactor （SBR） treating pre-treated landfill leachate in anoxic/anaerobic up-flow anaerobic sludge bed I（UASB）. Nitrite accumulates obviously at different initial nitrate concentrations （64.9,54.8,49.3 and 29.5 mg·L^-1 ） and low temperatures, and the two break points on the oxidation-reduction potential （ORP） profile indicate the completion of nitrate and nitrite reduction. Usually, the nitrate reduction rate is used as the sole parameter to characterize the denitrification rate, and nitrite is not even measured. For accuracy, the total oxidized nitrogen （nitrate ＋ nitrite） is used as a measure, though details characterizing the process may be overlooked. Additionally, batch tests are conducted to investigate the effects of C/N ratios and types of carbon sources on the nitrite accumulation during the denitrification. It is observed that carbon source is sufficient for the reduction of nitrate to nitrite, but for further reduction of nitrite to nitrogen gas, is deficient when C/N is below the theoretical critical level of 3.75 based on the stoichiometry of denitrification. Five carbon sources used in this work, except for glucose, may cause the nitrite accumulation. From experimental results and cited literature, it is concluded that Alcaligene species may be contained in the SBR activated-sludge system.

An autotrophic nitrogen removal process:Short-cut nitrification combined with ANAMMOX for treating diluted effluent from an UASB reactor fed by landfill leachate

A combined process consisting of a short-cut nitrification （SN） reactor and an anaerobic ammonium oxidation upflow anaerobic sludge bed （ANAMMOX） reactor was developed to treat the diluted effluent from an upflow anaerobic sludge bed （UASB） reactor treating high ammonium municipal landfill leachate.The SN process was performed in an aerated upflow sludge bed （AUSB） reactor （working volume 3.05 L）,treating about 50% of the diluted raw wastewater.The ammonium removal efficiency and the ratio of NO 2 N to NOx-N in the effluent were both higher than 80%,at a maximum nitrogen loading rate of 1.47 kg/（m 3 ·day）.The ANAMMOX process was performed in an UASB reactor （working volume 8.5 L）,using the mix of SN reactor effluent and diluted raw wastewater at a ratio of 1：1.The ammonium and nitrite removal efficiency reached over 93% and 95%,respectively,after 70-day continuous operation,at a maximum total nitrogen loading rate of 0.91 kg/（m 3 ·day）,suggesting a successful operation of the combined process.The average nitrogen loading rate of the combined system was 0.56 kg/（m 3 ·day）,with an average total inorganic nitrogen removal efficiency 87%.The nitrogen in the effluent was mostly nitrate.The results provided important evidence for the possibility of applying SN-ANAMMOX after UASB reactor to treat municipal landfill leachate.

Control factors of partial nitritation for landfill leachate treatment

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation （ANAMMOX） technology has potential technical superiority and economical efficiency for the nitrogen removal from landfill leachate, which contains high-strength ammonium nitrogen （NH4^＋-N） and refractory organics. To complete the ANAMMOX process, a preceding partial nitritation step to produce the appropriate ratio of nitrite/ammonium is a key stage. The objective of this study was to determine the optimal conditions to acquire constant partial nitritation for landfill leachate treatment, and a bench scale fixed bed bio-film reactor was used in this study to investigate the effects of the running factors on the partial nitritation. The results showed that both the dissolved oxygen （DO） concentration and the ammonium volumetric loading rate （Nv） had effects on the partial nitritation. In the controlling conditions with a temperature of 30±1℃, Nv of 0.2-1.0 kg NH4＋-N/（m^3·d）, and DO concentration of 0.8-2.3 mg/L, the steady partial nitritation was achieved as follows： more than 94% partial nitritation efficiency （nitrite as the main product）, 60%-74% NH4^＋-N removal efficiency, and NO2^--N/NH4^＋-N ratio （concentration ratio） of 1.0-1.4 in the effluent.The impact of temperature was related to Nv at certain DO concentration, and the temperature range of 25-30℃ was suitable for treating high strength ammonium leachate. Ammonium-oxidizing bacteria （AOB） could be acclimated to higher FA （free ammonium） in the range of 122-224 mg/L. According to the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis result of the bio-film in the reactor, there were 25 kinds of 16S rRNA gene fragments, which indicated that abundant microbial communities existed in the bio-film, although high concentrations of ammonium and FA may inhibit the growth of the nitrite-oxidizing bacteria （NOB） and other microorganisms in the reactor.

Nitrogen removal via nitrite from municipal landfill leachate

A system consisting of a two-stage up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket （UASB）, an anoxic/aerobic （A/O） reactor and a sequencing batch reactor （SBR）, was used to treat landfill leachate. During operation, denitrification and methanogenesis took place simultaneously in the first stage UASB, and the effluent chemical oxygen demand （COD） was further removed in the second stage UASB. Then the denitrification of nitrite and nitrate in the returned sludge by using the residual COD was accomplished in the A/O reactor, and ammonia was removed via nitrite in it. Last but not least, the residual ammonia was removed in SBR as well as nitrite and nitrate which were produced by nitrification. The results over 120 d （60 d for phase I and 60 d for phase II） were as follows： when the total nitrogen （TN） concentration of influent leachate was about 2500 mg/L and the ammonia nitrogen concentration was about 2000 mg/L, the shortcut nitrification with 85%-90% nitrite accumulation was achieved stably in the A/O reactor. The TN and ammonia nitrogen removal efficiencies of the system were 98% and 97%, respectively. The residual ammonia, nitrite and nitrate produced during nitrification in the A/O reactor could be washed out almost completely in SBR. The TN and ammonia nitrogen concentrations of final effluent were about 39 mg/L and 12 mg/L, respectively.

Organic matter and concentrated nitrogen removal by shortcut nitrification and denitrification from mature municipal landfill leachate

An UASB＋Anoxic/Oxic （A/O） system was introduced to treat a mature landfill leachate with low carbon-to-nitrogen ratio and high ammonia concentration. To make the best use of the biodegradable COD in the leaehate, the denitrifieation of NOx^--N in the reeireulation effluent from the elarifier was carried out in the UASB. The results showed that most biodegradable organic matters were removed by the denitrifieation in the UASB. The NH4^＋-N loading rate （ALR） of A/O reactor and operational temperature was 0.28- 0.60 kg NH4^＋-N/（m^3-d） and 17-29℃ during experimental period, respectively. The short-cut nitrification with nitrite accumulation efficiency of 90%-99% was stabilized during the whole experiment. The NH4^＋-N removal efficiency varied between 90% and 100%. When ALR was less than 0.45 kg NH4^＋-N/（m^3.d）, the NH4^＋-N removal efficiency was more than 98%. With the influent NH4^＋-N of 1200-1800 mg/L, the effluent NH4^＋-N was less than 15 mg/L. The shortcut nitrification and denitrifieation can save 40% carbon source, with a highly efficient denitrifieation taking place in the UASB. When the ratio of the feed COD to feed NH4^＋-N was only 2-3, the total inorganic nitrogen （TIN） removal efficiency attained 67%-80%. Besides, the sludge samples from A/O reactor were analyzed using FISH. The FISH analysis revealed that ammonia oxidation bacteria （AOB） accounted for 4% of the total eubaeterial population, whereas nitrite oxidation bacteria （NOB） accounted only for 0.2% of the total eubaeterial population.

Excavation and characterization of refuse in closed landfill

Refuse in landfills becomes stabilized as organic matter in refuse degrades and soluble inorganic substances dissolve during their long term stabilization process. In this paper, this process is also referred to as mineralization process and the resultant stabilized refuse referred to as aged refuse. Aged refuse contains a wide spectrum and huge quantity of microorganisms with strong decomposition capability for refractory organic matter present in some wastewater such as leachate. In this study, aged refuse excavated from 2 to 10 years old closed landfill compartments in Shanghai Refuse Landfill is characterized in terms of particulate distribution by screening, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, biodegradable matter. The approaches for redevelopment of both land and aged refuse in the stabilized landfills are proposed.

Three-stage aged refuse biofilter for the treatment of landfill leachate

A field-scale aged refuse （AR） biofilter constructed in Shanghai Refuse Landfill, containing about 7000 m^3 aged refuse inside, was evaluated for its performance in the treatment of landfill leachate. This AR biofilter can be divided into three stages and can manage 50 m^3 landfill leachate per day. The physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of AR were analyzed for evaluating the AR biofilter as leachate treatment host. The results revealed that over 87.8%-96.2% of COD and 96.9%-99.4% of ammonia nitrogen were removed by the three-stage AR biofilter when the infiuent leachate COD and ammonia nitrogen concentration were in the range 5478-10842 mg/L and 811-1582 mg/L, respectively. The final effluent was inodorous and pale yellow with COD and ammonia nitrogen below 267-1020 mg/L and 6-45 mg/L, respectively. The three-stage AR biofilter had efficient nitrification but relative poor denitrification capacity with a total nitrogen （TN） removal of 58%-73%. The external temperature of AR biofilter did not influence the total ammonia nitrogen removal significantly. It was concluded that the scale-up AR biofilter can work very well and can be a promising technology for the treatment of landfill leachate.