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State of the Practice of Onsite Leachate Treatment at Municipal Solid Waste Landfills
Citation:
Jain, P., J. Wally, T. Tolaymat, AND M. Krause. State of the Practice of Onsite Leachate Treatment at Municipal Solid Waste Landfills. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-21/182, 2021.
Impact/Purpose:
The offsite treatment and disposal at a domestic wastewater treatment facility has been a prevalent practice to manage leachate from Municipal Solid Waste Landfills in the US. However, there is growing reluctance among the wastewater treatment plant operators to accept leachate because of the elevated concentrations of certain chemicals in leachate, especially in comparison to domestic wastewater. As a result, there is a growing need among landfill owners to explore options to treat the leachate onsite. This report presents a review of the state of practice of the processes used for onsite treatment leachate at Municipal Solid Waste Landfills in the US.
Description:
Wastewater generated from solid waste, known as leachate, is one of the major environmental and human health risks posed by landfills. Management of leachate represents one of the major costs and operational challenges landfill owners face. The majority of landfills in non-arid areas utilize off-site treatment of leachate at municipal wastewater treatment plants. However, this treatment solution may be insufficient for a large number of sites primarily located in the eastern zone of the US. Traditionally, the offsite treatment and disposal at a domestic wastewater treatment facility has been a prevalent practice to manage leachate from these sites. However, there is growing reluctance among the wastewater treatment plant operators to accept leachate because of the elevated concentrations of certain chemicals in leachate, especially in comparison to domestic wastewater. As a result, there is a growing need among landfill owners to explore options to treat the leachate onsite. This report presents a review of the state of practice of the processes used for onsite treatment leachate at Municipal Solid Waste Landfills in the US. A review of the treatment processes and technologies that are currently used to treat leachate onsite was conducted. Case study sites were selected based on the major categories of onsite leachate management methods found in the database. These case studies highlight the wide range of methods, costs, and goals associated with leachate treatment. The design of a leachate treatment system depends on leachate generation profile, quality, local disposal options, regulatory requirements, and available features of the landfill sites and surrounding areas. Other important factors include capital and operational costs, requirements for site personnel time to manage the treatment system, and site space availability.