Enzymatic treatment of sanitary landfill leachate

The objective of this investigation was to study the effectiveness of applying enzymes (bioaugmentation) for enhancement of biological treatability of leachates generated in a typical municipal solid waste sanitary landfill. The basic purpose of enzyme use is to enforce the biodecomposition of organic constituents, as well as to reduce nitrogen content. A laboratory-scale sequencing batch (bio)reactor (SBR) was used for the examination of enzymatic application. The effect of different operation strategies on the efficiency of this biological treatment process was studied to optimize performance, especially for the removal of nitrogen compounds and of biodegradable organic matter. It was found that the enzymatic process was able to remove organic matter effectively (expressed as BOD5 and COD) and nitrogen content, color and turbidity.