Landfill leachate treatment by evaporation

Journal Article · · Journal of Environmental Engineering (New York); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9372(1994)120:5(1109)· OSTI ID:7144601

Birchler, D R ^[1]; Milke, M W ^[2]; Marks, A L ^[3]; Luthy, R G ^[4]

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1. Science Applications International Corp., Reston, VA (United States)
2. Univ. of Canterbury, Christchurch (New Zealand). Dept. of Civil Engineering
3. Eli Lilly and Co., Indianapolis, IN (United States)
4. Carnegie Mellon Univ., Pittsburgh, PA (United States). Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering

This paper reviews and extends understanding of evaporation/distillation as treatment for landfill leachate. Evaporation may produce condensate that is high quality and easier to dispose of than effluent from conventional leachate-treatment processes with the volume of the concentrated residuals being a small fraction of the original leachate volume. Laboratory-scale, one- and two-step distillation experiments with pH adjustment were performed with ammonium acetate test solution and three leachate samples from older landfills. A single-step, acidic distillation of the strongest leachate samples removed more than 95% of ionic impurities, except for volatile organic acids, which were removed at 85%. Two-step acid-base evaporation, or ammonia stripping coupled with evaporation, may effectively remove ammonia and volatile organic acids if present together in relatively high concentration. A Monte Carlo analysis of the feasibility for energy-self-sufficient leachate evaporation via landfill methane combustion shows, theoretically, that there will be sufficient methane gas to vaporize leachate in a majority of modern landfill situations based on the limited published data and assuming uncorrelated input parameters. balancing landfill leachate production to methane production may be tenuous for some landfill settings. Although the data developed here are limited, this investigation suggests that by-product leachate and gas from landfill operations may be used beneficially in a novel, energy-self-sufficient treatment process.

• OSTI ID: 7144601
• Journal Information: Journal of Environmental Engineering (New York); (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Environmental Engineering (New York); (United States) Vol. 120:5; ISSN 0733-9372; ISSN JOEEDU
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
090900 -- Biomass Fuels-- Processing-- (1990-)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540320* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
ALKANES
AMMONIA
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMBUSTION
DEGASSING
DISPERSIONS
HYDRIDES
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
LEACHATES
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS RECOVERY
METHANE
MIXTURES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN HYDRIDES
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDATION
PROCESSING
REMOVAL
SANITARY LANDFILLS
SOLUTIONS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING