Removal of Pollution by Intensive Aeration Technology for Landfill Leachate Treatment

BACKGROUND. Landfill leachate is a source of environmental pollution and a major concern for human health because it contains high concentrations of organic and inorganic contaminants. OBJECTIVES. The objective of the present study is to validate the efficiency of the forced aeration treatment technique, which consists of intensively injecting a continuous oxygen flow of 16.75 kg/m(3)/h for 30 days using a bubble air diffuser in a relatively small volume of 1 m(3). The principle of the technique is essentially based on acceleration of the degradation of the effluent as well as reduction of the organic and nitrogenous matter contents. METHODS. Forced aeration technology was used for the treatment of leachate from the Mohammedia-Benslimane landfill. The sample was treated by injecting a flow of oxygen to accelerate the biodegradability of the pollutants by the microorganisms. RESULTS. The physicochemical characterization of the raw leachate at the inlet of the aeration tank showed high values for chemical oxygen demand (COD) (38,600 mg O(2)/l), biological oxygen demand (BOD5) (24,000 mg O(2)/l), and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) (5,932.45 mg/L). The proposed treatment technique allowed relatively high purification yields to be achieved, with abatement rates for the major elements COD, BOD5 and TKN of 73%, 98%, and 85%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS. The treatment of leachate by intensive aeration technology reduces considerably the pollutant load and achieves a high purification yield. COMPETING INTERESTS. The authors declare no competing financial interests.