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.

Influence of Leachate Recirculation on Landfill Degradation and Biogas Production

Population growth combined with the rising standard of living of people around the world is the reason for the ever-increasing production of waste which management is costing states a lot of money for its disposal. Among available waste treatment techniques, landfill is one of the most promoted waste management techniques with the emergence of the bioreactor concept. However, the control of biodegradation parameters in order to accelerate waste stabilization is an important issue. For environmental and economic reasons, the technique of leachate recirculation by injection into the waste is increasingly used to improve the degradation of landfilled waste. The injection of leachate is possible using vertical boreholes, horizontal pipes, infiltration ponds or a combination of these. Indeed, moisture is the main factor in waste degradation and biogas production. The migration of leachate to the bottom of the landfill creates low moisture in the upper areas of the landfill reducing the growth of microbial populations. This results in low or no biogas production. The main objective of the present work is to develop a numerical model of leachate recirculation by injection into the waste to rewet the waste and restart biological activity. The analysis of the results shows that the diffusion of the wet front increases with time and depth. The lateral widening of the wet front is slow in relation to the progression of the wet front towards the bottom of the waste cell. This indicates the predominance of gravity effects over diffusion phenomena. The results reveal that the distributed re-injection is the best mode of leachate recirculation because the moisture distribution on the whole waste mass is totally satisfactory and the biogas generation is more important. Leachate recirculation campaigns should be done periodically to rewet the waste, boost microbial activity and hope for a quicker stabilization of the landfill.

The lateral pressure coefficient at rest of expansive soils in landfill at various vertical stresses and moisture contents

When expansive soils in the original location are artificially transferred to landfill in different seasons,and subject to engineering activities afterwards,the corresponding deformation and stability of retaining structures become unpredictable.This necessitates the determination of lateral pressure coefficient at rest(k_(0) value)for expansive soils in landfill.Considering compaction,excavation of expansive soils,as well as construction of landfill in different seasons,series of stepwise loading and unloading consolidation tests at various moisture contents were carried out in this work to explore the evolution characteristics of k_(0) value and assess the dependence of k_(0) value on vertical stress and moisture content.Besides,scanning electron microscope(SEM)was used to track the change in microstructural features with vertical stresses.The results indicated that the k_(0) value of expansive soil shows a pronounced nonlinearity and is inextricably linked with vertical stress and moisture content,based on which a prediction formula to estimate the variation in k_(0) value with vertical stress during loading stage was proposed;there is a significant exponential increase in k_(0) value with overconsolidation ratio(OCR)during unloading stage,and OCR dominates the release of horizontal stress of expansive soil;SEM results revealed that with an increase in vertical stress,the anisotropy of expansive soil microstructure increases dramatically,causing a significant directional readjustment,which is macroscopically manifested as an initially rapid increase in k_(0) value;but when vertical stress increases to a critical value,the anisotropy of microstructure increases marginally,indicating a stable orientation occurring in the soil microstructure,which causes the k_(0) value to maintain a relatively stable value.

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.

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.

Landfill leachate treatment in assisted landfill bioreactor

Landfill is the major disposal route of municipal solid waste（MSW） in most Asian countries. Leachate from landfill presents a strong wastewater that needs intensive treatment before discharge. Direct recycling was proposed as an effective alternative for leachate treatment by taking the landfill as a bioreactor. This process was proved not only considerably reducing the pollution potential of leachate, but also enhancing organic degradation in the landfill. However, as this paper shows, although direct leachate recycling was effective in landfilled MSW with low food waste fraction （3.5%, w/w）, it failed in MSW containing 54% food waste, as normally noted in Asian countries. The initial acid stuck would inhibit methanogenesis to build up, hence strong leachate was yielded from landfill to threaten the quality of receiving water body. We demonstrated the feasibility to use an assisted bioreactor landfill, with a well-decomposed refuse layer as ex-situ anaerobic digester to reducing COD loading in leachate. By doing so, the refuse in simulated landfill column （2.3 m high） could be stabilized in 30 weeks while the COD in leachate reduced by 95%（61000 mg/L to 3000 mg/L）. Meanwhile, the biogas production was considerably enhanced, signaling by the much greater amount and much higher methane content in the biogas.

Minimizing N2O fluxes from full-scale municipal solid waste landfill with properly selected cover soil

Municipal solid waste landfills emit nitrous oxide （N2O） gas. Assuming that the soil cover is the primary N2O source from landfills, this study tested, during a four-year project, the hypothesis that the proper use of chosen soils with fine texture minimizes N2O emissions. A full-scale sanitary landfill, a full-scale bioreactor landfill and a cell planted with Nerium indicum or Festuca arundinacea Schreb, at the Hangzhou Tianziling landfill in Hangzhou City were the test sites. The N2O emission rates from all test sites were considerably lower than those reported in the published reports. Specifically, the N2O emission rate was dependent on soil water content and nitrate concentrations in the cover soil. The effects of leachate recirculation and irrigation were minimal. Properly chosen cover soils applied to the landfills reduced N2O flux.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Characterization of refuse landfill leachates of three different stages in landfill stabilization process

Landfill leachates with different ages （mature leachate, 11 years; semi-mature leachate, 5 years; fresh leachate, under operation） were collected from Laogang Refuse Landfill, Shanghai to characterize the colloid size distribution and variations of leachate. These leachates were separated using micro-filtration and ultra-filtration into specific size fractions, i.e., suspended particles （SP） （〉 1.2 μm）, coarse colloids （CC） （1.2-0.45 μm）, fine colloids （FC） （0.45 m, 5 kDa/1 kDa molecular weight （MW））, and dissolved organic matters （DM, 〈 5 kDa/1 kDa MW）. The specific colloids in each size fraction were quantified and characterized through chemical oxygen demands （COD）, total solid （TS）, pH, NH4^＋-N, total organic carbon （TOC） and fixed solid （FS）. It was found that COD, NH^4＋-N and TS in leachate decreased significantly over ages, while pH increased. The dissolved fractions （〈 5 kDa/1 kDa） dominated （over 50%） in three leachates in terms of COD, and the organic matter content in dissolved fraction of leachates decreased and the inorganic matter increased as the disposal time extended, with the TOC/COD ratio 30%-7%. Dissolved fractions decreased from 82% to 40% in terms of TOC as the disposal time extended, suggested that the organic matter remained in leachate would form into middle molecular weight substances during the degradation process.

Limit equilibrium analysis of translational failure of landfills under different leachate buildup conditions

Excessive leachate levels in landfills can be a major triggering mechanism for translational failure. The scope of this paper is to present the development of the calculation methods for limit equilibrium analysis of translational failure of landfills and the effects of parametric variation on the factor of safety （FS） of landfills under different leachate buildup conditions. During the development of the calculation methods, 4 leachate buildup conditions are considered. The FS for an interface with high friction angle and low apparent cohesion generally drops much more quickly when leachate levels are increased than that for an interface under inverse conditions. The critical interface of a multilayer liner system with the lowest FS for the entire waste mass can shift from one to another with changes in the leachate levels. The different interfaces of a multilayer liner will have different FS-values under different leachate buildup conditions.

Occurrence and removal of organic micropollutants in the treatment of landfill leachate by combined anaerobic-membrane bioreactor technology

Organic micropollutants,with high toxicity and environmental concern,are present in the landfill leachate at much lower levels than total organic constituents (chemical oxygen demand (COD),biochemical oxygen demand (BOD),or total organic carbon (TOC)),and few has been known for their behaviors in different treatment processes.In this study,occurrence and removal of 17 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs),16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs),and technical 4-nonylphenol (4-NP) in landfill leachate in a comb...

A simulation analysis of the migration and transformation of pollutants contained in landfill leachate

A dynamic composite model for a soil-water system that can be used to simulate the movement of leachate from a landfill. The composite model includes nine sub-models that trace water movement and the migration and transformation of five pollutants(organic N, NH - 4, NO - 3, NO - 2, and Cl -) in saturated and unsaturated soil. The model to simulate the movement of leachate from a landfill in Laogang Town, Shanghai City was used. In this application, the values for the model parameters were obtained by performing a laboratory simulation experiment of water movement and pollutant migration and transformation in soil columns. Soil and leachate obtained from the landfill site and its vicinity were used in the laboratory experiments. The model was then used to simulate leachate movement and pollutant activity during the ten-year period when the landfill was in operation and in the twenty-year period following its closure. The simulation results revealed that the leachate migrated into the groundwater at the rate of 90—100 meters per year. This model can be applied in the design of future landfills in China for the purpose of assessing and forecasting leachate plumes.

Effect of leachate recycling and inoculation on the biochemical characteristics of municipal refuse in landfill bioreactors

Activity development of key groups of enzymes involved in municipal refuse decomposition was measured in laboratory landfill bioreactors with and without leachate recycling and inoculation for about 210 days. The results showed that the enzymes (amylase, protease, cellulase, lipase and pectinase) were present in fresh refuse but at low values and positively affected by leachate recycling and refuse inoculation. The total average of cellulase activity in digesters D3 operated with leachate recycling but no inoculation, D4 and D5 operated with leachate recycling and inoculation was much higher than that in digesters D1 and D2 without leachate recycling and inoculation by 88%—127%, 117%—162% and 64%—98%. The total average of protease activity was higher in digester D4 than that in digesters D1, D2, D3 and D5 by 63%, 39%, 24% and 24%, respectively, and the positive effect of leachate recycling and inoculation on protease activity of landfilled refuse mainly was at the first two months. The total average of amylase activity was higher in digesters D3, D4 and D5 than that in digesters D1 and D2 by 83%—132%, 96%—148% and 81%—129%. During the early phase of incubation, the stimulatory effect of inoculation on lipase activity was measured, but refuse moisture was the main factor affecting lipase activity of landfilled refuse. The inoculation, initial and continuous inoculation of microorganisms existing in leachate, was the mainly stimulatory factor affecting pectinase activity of landfilled refuse.

Soil microorganisms alleviate the allelopathic effect of Eucalyptus grandis × E. urophylla leachates on Brassica chinensis

Soil microbes may be critical players in determining the allelopathic potential of some plants. Low levels of plant community biodiversity in Eucalyptus plantations have been attributed to the allelopathic potential of these tree species. The role of soil microbes in the allelopathic effect of leaf leachates of the hybrid tree Eucalyptus grandis x E. urophylla, was tested in Petri dish assays with Brassica chinensis as a receiver plant. Soils were collected from either a local garden (soil A) or a Eucalyptus plantation (soil B) and half of each soil was sterilized to remove microbes. These soils were then treated with E. grandis x E. urophylla leachates for 0-72 h. Seed germination of B. chinensis was significantly inhibited in soils treated with leaf leachates relative to untreated soils. The inhibitory effect of the leaf leachates was more pronounced in sterilized soils. Total phenolic content was obvious lower in nonsterile leachate-treated soils than in sterile soils. Biomass of B. chinensis was negatively correlated with the total phenolic content in soils. Our findings suggest that soil microbes can alleviate the allelopathic potential of Eucalyptus and thereby its negative impact on plant growth.