Characterization of leachate produced by a landfill and its influence on a sewage treatment plant

Abstract

Although landfills are generally an environmentally safe option for the disposal of solid waste, the treatment and management of landfill leachate are still critical. The aim of this work was to study through physical-chemical analyses the effects of leachate on the effluent of the sewage treatment plant to which it is disposed on both study sites. The results were compared with those of existing studies, current legislation, municipal waste management practices, and landfill operations. Ethinylestradiol analyses were also performed on the influent and effluent from the sewage treatment plant. The results showed that the landfill leachate has a polluting potential, being found parameters above the allowed value, such as chemical oxygen demand (3,510.33 mg L −1), chloride (3,631.78 mg L −1), and manganese (21.61 mg L −1). The properties of the leachate indicated that the landfill was still in the acid formation phase and did not influence the influent that reached the sewage treatment plant in any way. Ultimately, the quality of the discharged wastewater met all of the predischarge regulatory criteria for materials being sent to a receiving water body, except for the chloride parameter that is not being treated at all.