Microbial Treatment of Landfill Leachate- A Sustainable Wastewater Management Tool

Abstract

Wastewater management is a powerful tool for restricting containment and recycling of wastewater upto surface/drinking standard as per end use. The present study is designed to explore the treatment potential of indigenous microflora for effective and efficient recycling of sanitary landfill leachate under in-situ conditions. Three indigenous strains were screened and characterized as MT186162, MT186163, and MT186164. Their i n-situ metabolic potential was observed by augmentation into leachate under optimized culture conditions and depicted in the form of percent reduction in major pollutant parameters viz. BOD, COD, Chlorides, phenols, TDS, and TKN at regular time intervals. In our knowledge, it is the very first study on in-situ leachate treatment by indigenous microflora. Results revealed that bacterial growth correlated well with their metabolic potential ( p>0.01 ). >83% of BOD, COD, phenolics, and TKN were reduced with water quality reaching surface discharge standards after 41 days of augmentation. Microbial metabolic potential varied significantly ( p>0.05 ) in the order of MT186163> MT186162> MT186164 and followed first order kinetics with rate constants k deg - 0.0062-1.131 day -1 and t 1/2 of 0.612-111.7 days. In concurrence, the Leachate Pollution Index of the landfill site also dropped significantly from 13.39 to 5.1-5.2. AMES test exhibits no mutagenicity in the treated leachate samples. The study concludes that isolated strains are pervasive towards leachate contamination and efficiently reduced it upto surface wastewater discharge standards. Hence their potential can be utilized further while designing commercial leachate treatment strategies for wastewater recycling.