Title: Physico-chemical treatment of anaerobic landfill leachate using activated carbon and zeolite: batch and column studies

Authors: Hamidi Abdul Aziz, Ahmed Abu Foul, Mohamed Hasnain Isa, Yung-Tse Hung

Addresses: School of Civil Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia. ' School of Civil Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia. ' Civil Engineering Department, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 31750 Tronoh, Perak, Malaysia. ' Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio 44115-2214, USA

Abstract: Leachate generated from one of the old landfills in Malaysia contains high concentrations of colour, COD, iron and ammoniacal. The ability of activated carbon-zeolite mixtures as an adsorbent was investigated in this research. Results of the batch experiments indicated that more than 522.2 mg/g of colour, 52.63 mg/g of iron, 232.6 mg/g of COD and 21.01 mg/g of ammoniacal nitrogen were removed by a mixture of activated carbon and zeolite. Results of the column studies indicated that more than 70% of colour and ammoniacal nitrogen, 80% of COD and 90% of iron were removed on the first five days.

Keywords: adsorption; zeolite; activated carbon; anaerobic landfill leachate; colour removal; iron removal; COD removal; chemical oxygen demand; ammoniacal nitrogen removal; physico-chemical treatment; Malaysia.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEWM.2010.032008

International Journal of Environment and Waste Management, 2010 Vol.5 No.3/4, pp.269 - 285

Published online: 04 Mar 2010 *

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