Review on membrane bioreactor, ion exchange and adsorption methods for landfill leachate treatment

Urban landfill leachate is a high strength wastewater characterized by high concentrations of recalcitrant organic compounds, ammonia and, increasingly, arsenic. The aims of this study were the review on membrane bioreactor, ion exchange and adsorption method for landfill leachate treatment. Membrane bioreactor (MBR) can be used for wastewater and landfill leachate treatment. The most important operating parameters in MBR which have an impact on nutrient removal and on fouling propensity, are the solid (or sludge) retention time (SRT) and hydraulic retention time (HRT). Ionexchange/ adsorption processes can be developed as post treatment to a membrane bio-reactor (MBR) because of the very high degree of clarification possible. Zeolite has a high cation exchange capacity (CEC), and thus a high potential for an application for the removal of ammonia nitrogen from wastewater. Many investigations showed that the ion exchange method, using zeolite and ion exchange resin could be reducing nitrogen, phosphorus, organics (COD and BOD ₅) and heavy metals from landfill leachate. Activated carbon is considered as one of the most effective adsorbents. The application of activated carbon adsorption is effective for the removal of non-biodegradable compounds from landfill leachate.