Landfill Leachate Treatment A Unique Solution
Introduction
Landfill Leachate is a worldwide problem. Every landfill on the planet produces a leachate that by its nature is toxic and must be dealt with. While each landfill site is different and produces its own levels and types of leachate toxicity, toxic leachate is inevitable due to organic, inorganic, biological, chemical and physical processes, many of which become more “effective” over the life of the landfill.
Current State Of The Art
Depending on numerous factors such as landfill age, design, composition, etc., several methods are in use today;
Each of these processes has their own limitations, advantages and disadvantages. The informed consensus is that”…a combination of methods need to be used to meet discharge standards” and, that activated carbon absorption and R.O. seem to be the best solutions. It is no coincidence these two methods are the top two (2) in expense and upkeep.
Introduction
Landfill Leachate is a worldwide problem. Every landfill on the planet produces a leachate that by its nature is toxic and must be dealt with. While each landfill site is different and produces its own levels and types of leachate toxicity, toxic leachate is inevitable due to organic, inorganic, biological, chemical and physical processes, many of which become more “effective” over the life of the landfill.
Current State Of The Art
Depending on numerous factors such as landfill age, design, composition, etc., several methods are in use today;
- Biological Treatment
- Aerobic Treatment
- Anaerobic Treatment
- pH Control
- Floatation
- Coagulation
- Adsorption
- Membrane Filtration
Each of these processes has their own limitations, advantages and disadvantages. The informed consensus is that”…a combination of methods need to be used to meet discharge standards” and, that activated carbon absorption and R.O. seem to be the best solutions. It is no coincidence these two methods are the top two (2) in expense and upkeep.
Background:
The parameters typically used to monitor the quality of landfill leachate are COD, BOD, pH, dissolved and suspended solids, nitrates and Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN), heavy metals, halides, etc. As one would expect, the leachate composition varies significantly from landfill to landfill, a function not only of the landfill contents but its age, temperature at the site, humidity / precipitation, etc. leachate COD can vary orders of magnitude: i.e.;
100 mg/l to 70,000 mg/l and beyond. The BOD/COD ratio may range between 0.70 to 0.04, these value decreases with the landfill age. The typical leachate pH may range 5,5 – 8,5 and
TKN can range between 0,2 – 13,000 mg/l, with younger landfills generally having higher TKN values.
Opportunity:
Provide a solution technology to treat landfill leachate such that it can be safely re-used or discharged directly into a waterway without the need for additional treatment steps, i.e.; shipping the leachate to an approved Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW).
Benefits:
The parameters typically used to monitor the quality of landfill leachate are COD, BOD, pH, dissolved and suspended solids, nitrates and Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN), heavy metals, halides, etc. As one would expect, the leachate composition varies significantly from landfill to landfill, a function not only of the landfill contents but its age, temperature at the site, humidity / precipitation, etc. leachate COD can vary orders of magnitude: i.e.;
100 mg/l to 70,000 mg/l and beyond. The BOD/COD ratio may range between 0.70 to 0.04, these value decreases with the landfill age. The typical leachate pH may range 5,5 – 8,5 and
TKN can range between 0,2 – 13,000 mg/l, with younger landfills generally having higher TKN values.
Opportunity:
Provide a solution technology to treat landfill leachate such that it can be safely re-used or discharged directly into a waterway without the need for additional treatment steps, i.e.; shipping the leachate to an approved Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW).
Benefits:
- No Chemical Additives
- No Polyelectrolytes Additives
- No Bacterial Additives
- Active technology able to remove chemical and biologic agents in one step
- Dramatically reduces or eliminates the load on Industrial or Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants.
- Provide an economic alternative to industrial water users by enabling the recycling of water within their processes instead of releasing into the wastewater treatment systems.
- Provide an economic alternative agriculturally that is safe for irrigation purposes
- Provide or create an alternative water supply to industry for various processes.
- Lower operating costs
- Cost-effective equipment maintenance.
- Greatly Reduced footprint requirement over conventional methods
- Cost/value basis purchase or lease option -providing shorter ROI
How Our Technology Works:
Doing what nature does…only a million times faster
We are all familiar with the terms decomposition, oxidation, and reduction; ashes to ashes and dust to dust—all things returning to their natural state. Our Sun supplies the energy that supports almost all life on earth through photosynthesis-this process maintains the atmospheric oxygen levels and supplies all of the organic compounds and most of the energy necessary for life on Earth. Meanwhile, the planet formed a natural water filter over millions and millions of years, layer upon layer of materials from the large stones to the fineness of sands, all the way down to carbon to filter out impurities and then, creating massive underground reservoirs of fresh clean water. Jump ahead millions of years and we find our filter clogged and no easy way to clean it. And thus the global expansion and need of Wastewater Treatment Plants- and for new and innovative technologies to support the ever growing demand.
Practical Explanation
By simulating the conditions of nature in a tightly controlled environmental chamber, the technology solution proposed can rapidly (by order of magnitude) accelerate these processes of decomposition, oxidation, and reduction from decades, centuries, & even millennia to seconds or minutes.
This is accomplished by pumping the wastewater under low to moderate pressure into the “Reactor” Chamber. While in the reactor, at the molecular level, the wastewater is subjected to Mega-high energy, extreme heat and pressure sources.
By simulating the conditions of nature in a tightly controlled environmental chamber, the technology solution proposed can rapidly (by order of magnitude) accelerate these processes of decomposition, oxidation, and reduction from decades, centuries, & even millennia to seconds or minutes.
This is accomplished by pumping the wastewater under low to moderate pressure into the “Reactor” Chamber. While in the reactor, at the molecular level, the wastewater is subjected to Mega-high energy, extreme heat and pressure sources.
These conditions cause the water (H2O) to literally be torn apart, this explosion causes the creation of plasma as well as massive amounts of Hydrogen (a reducer) and Oxygen (an Oxidizer) to be released as “Free Radicals” ions, into the remaining water, these ions coming in contact with the biological and chemical and solids in the water react violently with these organisms, compounds and metals. In this area of extremely high mass and energy transfer, the cellular membranes are torn apart exposing the organisms to temperatures equaling the surface of the sun and pressures many times greater than the bottom of the deepest oceans. These
constituents of the wastewater simply cannot survive and are killed, or reduced to their base origins as harmless organic or inorganic elements, rendering most or all of them inactive. The solids once dissolved in the water now come out of solution and after exiting the Reactor Chamber can easily be separated out.
Proposed Technology in Application
Our Unique System Solution provides a waste water treatment solution via the use of our advanced oxidation / digestion technology which can be coupled with conventional treatment techniques and biological purification, if required. This combined technology solution approach, more cost effectively reduces both chemical and biological contaminant levels in landfill leachate, even with initial COD levels > 70,000 mg/l. Discharge COD levels can be tailored to the desired discharge requirements (i.e.; 1000 mg/l for use in methane gas / anaerobic digestion or land application / irrigation to <100 mg/l for direct discharge to a holding pond and ultimately to a local watershed/wetlands.
Our unique technology is capable of converting a significant fraction of leachate contaminants into benign precipitated solids, including heavy metals, or gas (CO2) via our specialized oxidation process, without the use of chemical additives. Often only simple solids liquid separation (i.e., filtration / clarification) is the required finishing step prior to discharge. Depending on the nature and concentration of the species involved, our “solution” might also incorporate other classic treatment technologies, which would be much smaller in size and lower in operating cost because of our front end advanced oxidation treatment technology.
The principle unit operations involved in our leachate purification technology are:
constituents of the wastewater simply cannot survive and are killed, or reduced to their base origins as harmless organic or inorganic elements, rendering most or all of them inactive. The solids once dissolved in the water now come out of solution and after exiting the Reactor Chamber can easily be separated out.
Proposed Technology in Application
Our Unique System Solution provides a waste water treatment solution via the use of our advanced oxidation / digestion technology which can be coupled with conventional treatment techniques and biological purification, if required. This combined technology solution approach, more cost effectively reduces both chemical and biological contaminant levels in landfill leachate, even with initial COD levels > 70,000 mg/l. Discharge COD levels can be tailored to the desired discharge requirements (i.e.; 1000 mg/l for use in methane gas / anaerobic digestion or land application / irrigation to <100 mg/l for direct discharge to a holding pond and ultimately to a local watershed/wetlands.
Our unique technology is capable of converting a significant fraction of leachate contaminants into benign precipitated solids, including heavy metals, or gas (CO2) via our specialized oxidation process, without the use of chemical additives. Often only simple solids liquid separation (i.e., filtration / clarification) is the required finishing step prior to discharge. Depending on the nature and concentration of the species involved, our “solution” might also incorporate other classic treatment technologies, which would be much smaller in size and lower in operating cost because of our front end advanced oxidation treatment technology.
The principle unit operations involved in our leachate purification technology are:
- separation of particles >500 microns;
- electrical coagulation;
- two stage advanced oxidation with solids separation between stages;
- if needed, biological treatment may also be incorporated; which may be as simple as a holding pond system populated by specially selected, locally sourced plants and aquatic species.
The advanced oxidation technology, as well as some of the unit operations noted above, will be modular in design and built off-site. A typical landfill leachate treatment system, one capable of reducing COD/BOD from 70,0000 mg/l to
<<1000 mg/l will fit in a 40’ shipping container. The container can be installed with a minimum of civil site preparation. Once positioned, the leachate in/out flow stream and utility hook-ups can completed in only several
days. This technology / design, in-general, will be significantly lower in capital /operating cost and energy consumption than classic leachate water treatment systems.
Summary
Utilization of this proprietary technology solution;
While it will be demonstrated that the technology solution is capable of producing processed water at or below required specifications as a stand-a-lone system, other conventional methodologies can be integrated into the solution or existing systems as well if the client desires.
<<1000 mg/l will fit in a 40’ shipping container. The container can be installed with a minimum of civil site preparation. Once positioned, the leachate in/out flow stream and utility hook-ups can completed in only several
days. This technology / design, in-general, will be significantly lower in capital /operating cost and energy consumption than classic leachate water treatment systems.
Summary
Utilization of this proprietary technology solution;
- Reduces or eliminates the load on Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants
- Reduces or eliminates the use of; Chemical Additives, Polyelectrolytes Additives, Bacterial Additives
- Provides an economic alternative to industrial water users by enabling the recycling of water within their processes before the need releasing into the wastewater treatment systems.
- Greatly Reduces footprint requirement over conventional methods
- Provides shorter ROI via Cost/value basis purchase or lease.
While it will be demonstrated that the technology solution is capable of producing processed water at or below required specifications as a stand-a-lone system, other conventional methodologies can be integrated into the solution or existing systems as well if the client desires.
