Sanitary Landfill Leachates and Their Treatment

An extensive analysis of both organic and inorganic constituents in leachate samples collected from landfills located throughout the United States was conducted in this study. Ratios of certain parameters of leachate, such as COD/TOC, BOD₅/COD, FA-C/TOC VS/FS, etc., and the known age of the landfills can be used to predict the effectiveness of various biological and physical-chemical processes for leachate treatment. Some of these ratios, such as COD/TOC, are also used as an internal check on the reliability of the chemical analysis of leachate samples. The study showed that leachate from a recently leaching fill is best treated by aerobic and anaerobic biological treatment processes. and reverse osmosis treatment were effective in removing organic matter in leachate from stabilized fills, or to remove organic matter in effluent of biological units treating leachate.