Reduction of acute toxicity of landfill leachate in co-treatement with domestic sewage by integrated fixed-film activated sludge reactor

Abstract

This study used acute toxicity tests on the marine bacteria Allivibrio fischeri and on microcrustaceans Daphnia similis to evaluate the reduction of acute toxicity in effluent generated by the IFAS (Integrated Fixed Film Activated Sludge) hybrid process, treating landfill leachate with domestic sewage. In order to evaluate the treatment’s ability to lessen the toxicity of the effluent, three experimental stages were developed with leachate contributions of 5, 10 and 20% of the total load of BOD in the effluent composition. In general, the results show that, even with the greatest contribution of leachate, no significant alterations were observed in the behavior and efficiency of the biological process; however, with regard to the degree of acute toxicity observed in the affluent, the classification of the effluents changed from Very Toxic to Toxic in three phases of operation, even reaching the reduction levels around 70% in the last stage of the study, highlighting the need for greater control and evaluation of this variable. The methodology of using the Microtox® technique proved to be more sensitive to compounds present in the samples when compared to the technique using the microcrustaceans D. similis.