Leachate treatment using the static granular bed reactor

Abstract

Leachate treatment and disposal is the one of the biggest issues during solid waste management facilities. Leachate has very high strength regarding to pH, chemical oxygen demand, ammonia, color, odor and heavy metals. Anaerobic treatment is a preferred option to treat leachate due to its feasibility with high organic strength. In this study, a new anaerobic treatment system called the Static Granular Bed Reactor (SGBR), which was developed by Ellis and Mach at Iowa State University in the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering (U.S. Patent #: 6,709,591), was tested for treating leachate characterizing high strengthened wastewater. COD removal efficiency of the SGBR was above 90% with organic loading rates as high as 15 kgCOD/m3·day. Gas production potential was around 0.36 L gas (STP)/CODr while methane potential was 0.26 L CH4 (STP)/CODr. From the study results, it was apparent that the SGBR could be effectively used as an alternative anaerobic treatment process for leachate.