
Best management practices can be used to reduce the volume of leachate produced from a landfill and also to reduce the toxicity of the leachate. These steps will reduce the risk to the environment, however, even with best practices, landfill leachate requires treatment.
There are a host of treatment technologies that can be used to treat leachate, however each has its limitations. The conventional treatment process uses several treatment technologies in series to accomplish the desired end result: clean water for discharge.
Typical technologies include the following:
Technology |
Targeted to Remove |
Problems |
Flocculation |
Suspended Solids |
Selective removal |
Sedimentation/Clarifier |
Suspended Solids |
Long residence time |
Media Filter (Sand, etc) |
Suspended Solids |
Media Replacement Cost |
Chemical Treatment |
Heavy Metals |
High Operating Cost |
Ion Exchange |
Heavy Metals |
Poor Selectivity |
Oxidation |
Bacteria, Cyanide, Organics |
High Operating Cost |
Air Stripping |
Ammonia and VOCs |
Air Emissions Permit |
Biological Treatment |
Organic Pollutants |
Footprint is large |
Aerated Lagoons |
BOD |
Partial Solution |
Many landfills currently employ one or two of the above technologies for temporary or partial solutions, while others use a combination of several technologies to achieve acceptable levels of ammonia, COD, BOD, and heavy metals.
Historically, fouling and difficult operation have limited the use of RO membranes in landfill operations. In contrast, New Logic’s VSEP RO membrane system unlocks the potential of RO membranes for treatment of leachate through the power of vibratory enhanced separation. As the only technology able to separate all of the pollutants found in landfill leachate in a single step, VSEP RO has been successfully deployed at landfills around the world. Although you can find other membrane systems at landfills, these require elaborate pre-treatment and are truly multi-step processes requiring significant operator attention.
As any landfill operator knows, each landfill is unique, with unique cell characteristics and unique requirements for environmental compliance. That’s why New Logic’s custom approach is essential to designing a cost-effective VSEP treatment solution to fit your project’s requirements.
For a typical landfill leachate process flow diagram with mass balance, please click here.
To learn more, choose a link below:
Membrane Filtration of Landfill LeachateEl Bordo Poniente Landfill Case StudyEl Inga Landfill Case StudyPresidente Landfill Case StudyVirginia Landfill Case StudyPanama City, Panama Landfill Case StudySanto Domingo Landfill Case StudyLeachate Treatment Using Vibratory Reverse Osmosis
Industrial Strength Membrane FiltrationKinetics of Mineral Scale Membrane Fouling