Sequenced anaerobic-aerobic treatment of high strength, strong nitrogenous landfill leachates

As a first step in treatment of high strength, strong nitrogenous landfill leachates (total COD--9.66-20.56 g/l, total nitrogen 780-1,080 mg/l), the performance of laboratory UASB reactors has been investigated under sub-mesophilic (19+/-3 degrees C) and psychrophilic (10+/-2 degrees C) conditions. Under hydraulic retention time (HRT) of around 1.2 days, when the average organic loading rate (OLR) was around 8.5 g COD/l/day, the total COD removal accounted for 71% (on average) for sub-mesophilic regime. The psychrophilic treatment conducted under the average HRT of 2.44 days and the average OLR of 4.2 g COD/l/day showed an average total COD removal of 58% giving effluents more suitable for subsequent biological nitrogen removal. Both anaerobic regimes were quite efficient for elimination of heavy metals by concomitant precipitation in the form of insoluble sulphides inside the sludge. The subsequent submesophilic aerobic-anoxic treatment of submesophilic anaerobic effluents led to only 75% of total inorganic N removal due to COD deficiency for denitrification created by too efficient anaerobic step. On the contrary, psychrophilic anaerobic effluents (richer in COD compared to the submesophilic ones) were more suitable for subsequent aerobic-anoxic treatment giving the total N removal of 95 and 92% at 19 and 10 degrees C, respectively.