Phytoremediation of Landfill Leachate

Paige Griffin

Landfill facts and figures

Americans generate approximately 250 million tons of trash annually, and approximately 57% of the waste is landfilled1

Over 2,500 landfills are currently in operation in the United States EPA estimates 10,000 old and abandoned municipal landfills exist

What is landfill leachate?

Liquid that moves through or drains from a landfill
Generated by
o Excess rainwater percolation through waste2 o Inherent water content of wastes3

http://www.newlaramielandfill.com/faq.aspx

Leachate composition
Physical, chemical, and microbial processes occurring in the waste release pollutants from the waste into percolating water4

4 major groups of pollutants2:

o o o o Dissolved organic matter (e.g., COD, TOC) Inorganic macro components (e.g., calcium, sodium, chloride, iron) Heavy metals (e.g., cadmium, copper, zinc, chromium) Xenobiotic compounds (e.g., pesticides, aromatic hydrocarbons)

Leachate composition

The problem
Leachate has the potential to contaminate groundwater
o Historically, landfills were built without engineered liners o Recently, a study estimated that 82% of landfill cells had leaks in the liners6

Leachate run-off may pollute surface water

o Surface water pollution less common than groundwater pollution

http://www.soilenvironmentservices.co.uk/soil_survey_project_examples.htm

Landfills may generate leachate for hundreds of years after closure

Question 1
Name one environmental issue associated with landfill leachate.

Conventional leachate treatments

Leachate transfer3
o Recycling o Combined treatment with domestic sewage

Biodegradation
o Aerobic processes (lagoons, activated sludge) o Anaerobic processes (anaerobic digestion)

Chemical and physical methods1

o o o o Chemical oxidation Chemical precipitation Coagulation/flocculation Sedimentation

http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/waste/ prob_solutions/msw_lenchate.html

http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/waste/ prob_solutions/msw_lenchate.html

Phytoremediation of leachate

Jones et al, 2006

Case study 1: Introduction

Goal
Design

o Complete rehabilitation of municipal solid waste landfill site

o Leachate treated by constructed wetlands and then pumped back to irrigate vegetated landfill cover

Plants
o Phragmites australis (wetlands) o willow and grasses (soil cover)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phragmites

Case study 1: CW results

Average 60% removal of major pollutants achieved desired efficiency as leachate pretreatment

Case study 1: Plant cover results

Beneficial effect of leachate application on landfill vegetation was observed
o Trees started to leaf earlier compared to surrounding vegetation o Vegetation indices were higher throughout whole vegetation season

Comparison of irrigated vs. non-irrigated plants

o In irrigated plants, nitrogen, sodium, and cadmium levels were higher in plant leaves o Nitrogen, sodium, cadmium, zinc, and manganese levels were higher in plant wood

Case study 1: Conclusions

Irrigation did not show excess accumulation of salts, heavy metals, or nutrients that could negatively affect soil properties and plant growth Further monitoring is required to determine long-term effects of irrigation Under controlled conditions, leachate acts as good fertilizer To achieve higher nutrient removal, tree species with higher biomass production should be used

Additional literature and findings

Irrigated trees on landfill caps promoted favorable environment for methane oxidizing bacterial populations8 Spray irrigation of leachate resulted in the death of native trees and shrubs in Australia, with no regrowth9 Poplars and willows have been shown to have high evapotranspiration rates when irrigated with leachate

http://www.frysvillefarms.com/hybrid-poplar-trees.php

Question 2
Name one plant previously mentioned that could be used to remediate landfill leachate

Human health considerations

Received little attention Few quantitative reports on microbiological composition of leachate10 General perception:
o Due to high temperatures during waste decomposition, low pH, and antibiotic characteristics, it is generally thought that most bacterial, protozoal, and viral populations are deactivated11, 12, 13 o If pathogens do persist, they are unlikely to survive for long periods14,15

References
Cover slide photo: http://mikedavidsonent.com/newsite/?p=226 (1) US EPA, 1999. Methane Emissions from Landfills . <http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/index.htm> (2) Kjeldsen et al., 2010. Present and Long-Term Composition of MSW Landfill Leachate: A Review. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology. Pp. 297-336. (3) Renou et al., 2008. Landfill leachate treatment: Review and opportunity. Journal of Hazardous Materials. Pp. 468-493. (4) Christensen and Kjeldsen, 1989. Basic biochemical processes in landfills. Sanitary Landfilling: Process, Technology and Environmental Impact. (5) Jones et al., 2006. Phytoremediation of landfill leachate. Waste Management. Pp. 825-837 (6) Zero Waste America. LANDFILLS: Hazardous to the Environment. <http://www.zerowasteamerica.org/landfills.htm> (7) Justin and Zupancic, 2008. Combined purification and reuse of landfill leachate by constructed wetland and irrigation of grass and willows. Desalination 246, pp. 157-168. (8) Maurice and Lagerkvist, 2003. LFG emission measurements in cold climatic conditions: seasonal variations and methane emissions mitigation. Cold Regions Science and Technology 36, pp. 37-46. (9) Chan, 1982. Changes to a soil on irrigation with a sanitary landfill leachate. Water , Air, and Soil Pollution 17, pp. 295-304.

(10) Andreottola and Cannes, 1992. Chemical and biological characteristics of landfill leachate. In: Landfilling of Waste: Leachate. Pp. 65-88. (11) Engelbrecht and Amirhor, 1975. Inactivation of enteric bacteria and viruses in sanitary landfill leachate. Federal Communications Commission, NTIS/PB 234. (12) Donnelly et al., 1981. Recovery of faecal indicator and pathogenic microbes from landfill leachate. Land disposal: municipal solid waste, EPA. (13) Pahren, 1987. Micro-organisms in municipal solid waste and public health implications. CRC Critical Reviews in Environmental Control 17, pp. 187-228. (14) Coker, 1983. Biological aspects of the disposal utilization of sewage sludge on land. Advances in Applied Biology 9, pp. 257-322. (15) Menzies, 1986. Pathogen considerations for land application of human and domestic animal wastes. In: Soils for Management of Organic Wastes and Waste Waters. American Society of Agronomy Crop Science Society of America-Soil Science Society of America. Pp. 573-585.

Answers to quiz questions

1. Contamination of groundwater or surface water 2. Reeds, willow, poplar, grasses, shrubs