Removal of nitrogen from MBT residues by leachate recirculation in combination with intermittent aeration

Mechanical–biological treatment (MBT) techniques have been used to reduce the emission potential of waste before placement in landfills for a couple of years, especially in Europe. The main focus of MBT is on the reduction of native organic substances and not on nitrogen compounds. As a result, the concentrations of organic substances in leachate from MBT landfills are considerably reduced in comparison to leachates from municipal solid waste landfills, while the ammonia nitrogen concentrations remain at a high level. From the stabilization of old landfills it is well known that recirculation of leachate and supplementary aeration can reduce emissions to an acceptable level in a comparatively short time. In a series of laboratory-scale tests the efficiency of this technique for MBT residues was investigated under different boundary conditions. While the effect of leachate recirculation is also well known for MBT residues, the additional aeration has so far not been investigated. The results show that this technique has only a limited influence on the reduction of organic carbon compounds. In view of nitrogen compounds, only the additional aeration during recirculation shows a strong effect on the quality of leachate, in which the concentrations of ammonium and total nitrogen are reduced by more than 90%. The results indicate that by using simple techniques the long-term emission behavior of MBT residues can be quickly reduced to an acceptable level.