Formation Composition

and Management of
Leachate.

Leachate
It is the contaminated liquid generated
by sanitary landfills.
It is a liquid that has percolated through
solid waste and has extracted,
dissolved or suspended materials.
Sometimes it consists of liquid that has
entered the landfill from external
sources like surface drainage, rainfall as
well as liquid from decomposition of SW.
Leachate is the liquid that accumulate
at the bottom of the landfill

Composition and Properties of

leachate
The amount of leachate generated
depends upon
Water availability precipitation,
surface runoff, waste decomposition,
liquid waste disposal.
Landfill surface condition,
Refuse state
Condition of surrounding strata.

Composition and Properties

of leachate
The potential for formation of leachate
can be assessed by preparing a water
balance on the landfill.
It involves summing the amount
of water entering the landfill and
subtracting the amount of water
consumed in chemical reactions
and the quantity leaving as water
Vapour.

Composition and Properties

of leachate

L = I E aW
L= free leachate retained at site
I = Total liquid input
E = evaporation losses
a = Absorption capacity of waste
W = weight of waste disposal.

Composition and Properties

of leachate
Total liquid input Water
Total liquid input is Water entering the landfill cell from
above
Moisture in the solid waste
Moisture in the cover material
Moisture in the sludge
Water it is the water leaving the
landfill as vapor along the landfill gas.

Composition and Properties

of leachate
Water in solid waste = water
entering the landfill with waste
material i.e moisture in SW, rainfall
content .
Water in cover material
It depend upon
Type and source of cover material
Season

Composition and Properties

of leachate
Water from above.
Precipitation percolated through cover
material.
Water lost in the form of landfill gas
Water lost as water vapor it is
related to mass of water contained per
cubic feet of landfill gas.
Water lost due to evaporation

Composition of leachate
When water percolates through SW that
are undergoing decomposition, both
biological material and chemical
constituents are leached into solution.
Chemical composition of leachate will
vary depending upon age of the landfill.
Biodegradability of leachate vary with
time.

Composition of leachate
If leachate sample is collected during acid
phase pH will be low, BOD, COD will be
high.
If leachate sample is collected during
methane fermentation phase pH will be 6.57.5.
BOD,COD will be low.
pH of leachate is not only depends on the
acids but also depend on partial pressure of
carbon dioxide in the landfill gas which is in
contact with leachate.

Composition of leachate in new

and mature landfills.
Constituent

New

Landfill

Mature Landfill

Range

Typical

pH

4.5-7.5

BOD

2ooo30000mg/lit

10000mg/ 100 200mg/lit

lit

COD

3000-60000

18000

100-500

Total organic
carbon

1500- 20,000

6000

80-160

organic nitrogen

10-800

200

80-120

Total suspended
solids

200- 2000

500

100-400

7.5-8

Composition of leachate in
new and mature landfills
Constituent

New

Landfill

Mature
landfill

Ammonia
nitrogen

10-800

200

20-40

Nitrate

5-40

25

5-10

Total
phosphorous

5-100

30

5-10

Alkalinity

1000-10000

3000

200-1000

Hardness

3000-10000

3500

200-500

Calcium

200-3000

1000

100-400

Magnesium

50-1500

250

50-200

Potassium

200-1000

300

50-400

Sodium

200-2500

500

100-200

Chloride

200-3000

300

20-50

Movement of leachate
Under controlled condition leachate is
found at the bottom of the landfill.
From there its movement in unlined
landfills is through underlying strata.
As leachate percolates through underlying
strata, chemical, biological constituents
originally contained in it will be removed
by filtering and adsorptive action of the
material strata.

Control of leachate in
landfills
Due to potential risk involved in allowing
leachate to percolate to ground water, its
elimination /containment is the best practice.
The best way to control leachate is through
prevention.
It is necessary to control liquid access.
Surface water can be controlled and diverted
away from landfill by proper grading.
6-12% slope of daily cover will allow water to
drain freely from the landfill.

Control of leachate in
landfills
Concrete lined channels /drainage ditches can
be constructed around the perimeter of the
site to divert upland rainfall and to collect
surface runoff from the site.
Final cover/cap at the top of completed landfill
is constructed so that it is impermeable and
prevents infiltration of rainwater directly on
landfill areas.it is designed and graded to keep
away from burried waste.

Control of leachate in
landfills
The cap typically consists of soil
layer -24 inches thick with 3-5%
slope.
It should be underdrain by a sandy
soil drainage layer and flexible
membrane liner with low
permeability soil layer.

Control of leachate in
landfills
There are two ways to prevent
leachate problems at a landfill
1. Intercept and channel surface
runoff to prevent it from entering the
landfill.
2. Provide suitable type of
impermeable barrier/liner between
the waste and underlying aquifer.

Control of leachate in
landfills

Leachate Collection
Leachate collection Leachate is directed to low points at the bottom
of the landfill through the use of an efficient
drainage layer composed of sand, gravel or a
geosynthetic material.
Perforated pipes are placed at low points to
collect leachate and are sloped to allow the
moisture to move out of the landfill.
It consists of landfill liners, leachate
holding facilities, leachate removal
faclilties.

Leachate Collection
Landfill liners The objective in the design
of landfill liners is to minimize the
infiltration of leahate into subsurface soils
below the landfill to reduce the GW
contamination.
Natural liners These refer to compacted
clay. These are generally less permeable,
resistant to chemical attack and have good
sorption properties.
Disadvantage do not act true contaminant
barriers as leachate migrates through them.

Landfill Liners

Landfill liners

Landfill liners

Landfill liners

Leachate collection

Leacahte Collection

Leachate collection

Leacahte Collection for

Secure landfill

Landfill liners
Synthetic (geo-membrane)liners These
are made up of high density
polyethylene(HDPE).
Less permeable, easy to install, strong.
Sometimes expand/shrink according to
temperature and age.
The composite liners made up of synthetic
material over 600mm( 24in) clay.
This forms impermeable barrier which prevents
leachate from mixing with ground water.

Landfill Liners
Synthetic (geo-membrane)liner
Clay must have hydraulic
conductivity less than 1 10mm/s.
It means any water /leachate enters
the clay will flow at a rate less than
one millionth of mm/sec.
( 30mm/year)

Landfill liners
Multilayer landfill liner It consists of clay
layer,
Geomembrane serves as a composite barriers to
movement of leachate and landfill gas.
The sand layer serves as collection and drainage
layer for any leachate generated within the landfill.
Geotextile layer is used to minimize the
intermixing of soil and sand layers. It consists of
synthetic membrane + net cloth
Final soil layer is used to protect the drainage
layer.

 Construction of clay liners

Great care must be exercised in the construction
of clay layer.
Most serious problem with the use of clay is its
tendency to form cracks due to desiccation.
The clay liners should be laid in 4-6 in. layer with
adequate compaction between the placement of
succeeding layers.
Same type of clay must be used as cracking can
oocur due to diferential swelling of different types
of clay

 Leachate collection facilities -It is

accomplished by using series of slopes , terraces
and system of collection pipes.
Terraces are sloped so that the leachate
accumulating on surface of terraces will drain to
leachate collection channels.
Perforated pipe placed in each leachate
collection channel is used to convey the
collected leachate to a central location from
there it is removed for the treatment/
reapplication to the surface of landfill.

Leachate Collection Pipe

 The slope of the terrace is 1-5%

slope of drainage channels is 0.5-1%
The design objective is not to allow the
leachate to pond at the bottom of the
landfill.
The depth of flow in the perforated
drainage pipe increases from upper
reaches of drainage channels to lower
reaches.

 Leachate removal and holding facilities

Leachate collection pipe is passed through sides
of landfill.
Seal where the pipe penetrates the landfill liner.
Use of inclined collection pipe located within the
landfill.
Leachate collection facilities are used where the
leachate is to recycle/ treated at central location.
In some cases leachate is collected in holding
tank.

Leachate Management

Leachate recycling
Leachate evaporation
Treatment
Discharge to municipal waste water
collection system.

 Leachate recycling
During early stages of landfill operation
leachate will contain significant amount of TDS,
BOD,COD.
when it is recirculated simple organic acids in
leachate will converted to methane and carbon
dioxide.
Additional benefit is the recovery of landfill gas.
Rate of gas production is greater in leachate
circulation system.

 Leachate evaporation
It involves use of lined leachate
evaporation ponds. Ponds are
uncovered in summer.
Storage and disposal by spray on
nearby lands in summer.
If enough land is available, spraying of
effluent is carried out on continuous
basis.

Leachate treatment
Biological treatment
It removes BOD and ammonia.
common methods are aerated
lagoons, activated sludge process.
Discharge sludge is recirculated and
used for removal of BOD and
ammonia.

Anaerobic treatmentAnaerobic filters

Anaerobic digesters.
Physicochemical treatment
Separation of flocks by sedimentation,
Adsorption
Reverse osmosis.