Landfill Leachate
What is Landfill Leachate?
Leachate forms as rainwater and moisture percolate through the many layers of buried waste at a landfill. All sorts of contaminants are dissolved and carried into collection systems at the base of the landfill. Clearly, leachate needs to be treated before it can be disposed of or utilized somewhere else. But one-size-fits-all landfill leachate wastewater treatment systems don’t work.
Younger landfills in the acid phase produce leachate with BOD concentrations between 2,000 and 30,000 mg/L because of the volatile fatty acids and readily biodegradable organic matter. Just so you get an idea of what exactly that means, domestic wastewater falls between 200-300 mg/L.
The chemistry evolves as the landfill matures. pH goes up, volatile acids come down, and the simpler organics that were once present get replaced by more complex humic and fulvic compounds. BOD drops, but what remains is harder to treat biologically.
At any phase, though, leachate can have ammonia nitrogen in excess of 2,000 mg/L and total dissolved solids (TDS) above 10,000 mg/L. Where some leachate has very low TDS. That’s not to mention the heavy metals like lead, mercury, cadmium, or the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene).
Challenges in Treating Landfill Leachate
Whether it’s food & beverage industry wastewater treatment, wastewater treatment for manufacturing, or automotive wastewater treatment, the effluent from one production cycle to the next remains within a fairly predictable range. That’s not the case in treating landfill leachate.
Municipal landfills accept household waste, construction debris, commercial refuse, and so much more. There are more variables here than in most other industries.
This lack of consistency is the biggest challenge in designing and maintaining landfill leachate wastewater treatment systems. It becomes even more complex given how conditions evolve as the landfill ages. Seasonal rainfall dictates volume, too. It’s really tricky to get a system that performs perfectly in all conditions. But that’s what separates bioprocessh2O from the rest.
Types of Wastewater Treatment Systems
Seamless Landfill Leachate Wastewater Treatment With bioprocessh2O
We build treatment systems for landfill leachate that you can count on - because they’re never pulled off a shelf. It always starts with a review of your landfill’s age, leachate chemistry, seasonal flow variation, and discharge permit requirements.
Results That Speak For Themselves
Landfills have contracted us for design and implementation of leachate treatment systems in the past, and we delivered. Our bioFLOW MBR installation at a landfill site processes 289,300 GPD of incoming leachate. The performance data from that system speaks for itself:
- Over 99% BOD removal (2,093 mg/L reduced to under 20 mg/L)
- Over 99% ammonia nitrogen removal (1,483 mg/L to under 5 mg/L)
- Over 98% TSS removal (660 mg/L to under 10 mg/L)
A commercial reverse osmosis system is in place downstream to handle TOC and dissolved solids (TDS) so the landfill is left with effluent that always meets permitted discharge limits.
Tailored Solutions For Any Situation
It goes without saying that landfill leachate wastewater treatment is never one-size-fits-all. That’s why we have solutions for every landfill. Our bioFAS MBBR handles high-strength organic loads at lower energy consumption than MBR.
One centralized facility processing hauled leachate and industrial waste relies on our bioFAS system and achieves more than 80% COD removal at 42,000 GPD, meeting strict municipal discharge standards.
We can also set up supporting technologies like screening, DAF, activated carbon filtration, jet aeration, and RO depending on the leachate composition and discharge targets.
You can run a pilot study and get lab analysis of your leachate before we get started so that you can validate the system design. This will leave you feeling much more confident investing in full-scale installation.
Ongoing Monitoring and Support
We’re invested in the ongoing success of our systems. In fact, many landfills expand their systems over the years. Our systems can be modular, so you can expand capacity or add more technology as contaminant profiles shift.
You always have access to our support staff, be it for questions about optimization or help troubleshooting. Remote monitoring allows us to assess system performance in real time and respond accordingly.
Start Treating Landfill Leachate More Efficiently
Your site has unique leachate chemistry, flow rates, and permit limits. Why would you ever settle for an off-the-shelf system? It all starts with a consultation, pilot study, or lab analysis. Connect with our team today and we’ll develop a landfill leachate wastewater treatment system sized and engineered for your specific conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Extremely. That’s why your landfill is held to such strict standards for discharge. Leachate can hold concentrated organic matter, ammonia nitrogen in excess of 2,000 mg/L, heavy metals, VOCs, and more. Untreated discharge can wreak havoc on groundwater and surface water.
It’s collected and sent to either an off-site or decentralized wastewater treatment center on-site. Most landfills invest in their own system because it saves costs and gives more control. The alternative is collecting the leachate and hauling it to a municipal wastewater plant or a centralized facility, which is complicated and expensive. Many times municipal plants won't accept leachate until it is first treated on site.
A system with multiple stages is best. Screening removes physical debris. Then, biological processes (MBR or MBBR) can reduce the organic and ammonia content. DAF and activated carbon address any lingering contaminants, and some facilities provide final polishing via reverse osmosis. The exact system configuration depends on your leachate.
Yes. We have set up a bioFLOW MBR system at a landfill site that processes nearly 290,000 GPD and removes more than 99% of BOD and ammonia. We’ve also supplied systems for centralized facilities that treat hauled leachate and industrial waste.
Applicable Solutions
Largest Soft Drink Producer
Landfill Leachate
Potato Processing Plant
Letterkenny Army Depot
Cheese Producer
