Efficiency of Combined Processes Coagulation/Solar Photo Fenton in the Treatment of Landfill Leachate

The combined coagulation-solar photo Fenton treatment of leachate from the sanitary landfill located in Atlantico-Colombia was investigated. Firstly, the efficiency of two alternative combined treatments for the reduction of chemical oxygen demand in leachate was assessed, coagulation with poly-aluminum chloride followed by solar photo-Fenton process (Treatment 1) and coagulation with FeCl3·6H2O followed by ferrioxalate-induced solar photo-Fenton process (Treatment 2). Afterwards, treatments 1 and 2 were compared with the treatment currently used in the sanitary landfill (only coagulation with poly-aluminum chloride), in terms of efficiency and costs. An optimization study of alternative treatments was performed combining central-composite experimental design and response surface methodology. The optimum conditions resulted in a chemical oxygen demand reduction of 73 % and 80 % for Treatment 1 and 2, respectively. Both alternative treatments for the leachate are more efficient than the treatment currently used in the sanitary landfill (chemical oxygen demand reduction of 20 %). In terms of costs, treatment 1 would be the most competitive to implement in the sanitary landfill, since this would have an increase of 13.3 % in the total unitary cost compared to an increase of 39.5 % of treatment 2.