Treatment of Leachate Using Up-Flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactors/Vertical Flow Subsurface Constructed Wetlands

Abstract

Abstract The composition of local solid waste consists mainly of biodegradable waste with high moisture and organic content. After being landfilled, the waste decomposes through a series of combined physico-chemical and biological processes, resulting in the generation of landfill leachate. Unless treated properly, the leachate poses a serious threat to the environment and to public health. In this study, the use of an engineered system consisting of an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor and a vertical flow subsurface constructed wetland for the treatment of landfill leachate was investigated. The leachate obtained from a landfill facility in Aksaray, Turkey was fed into both systems and laboratory tests showed that, over the 6-week study period, the systems were able to efficiently remove chemical oxygen demand (88.6 %) and total nitrogen (80.7 %). The results of this study suggested that Typha angustifolia significantly increased the removal of total nitrogen. The higher ammonia removal occurred in the anaerobic system and also the removal efficiency increased in planted bed, it is presumed to be the result of the ammonia nitrogen uptake by the roots of the plant.