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Reusing Landfill Leachate Within the Framework of a Proper Management of Municipal Landfills

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Wastewater Reuse and Current Challenges

Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 44))

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Abstract

The possibility of reusing leachate substances for agronomical purposes might be of interest, especially in arid areas when used in addition to the leachate water content. This study presents a simple procedure for the revegetation of the walls of closed landfills, reusing the leachate as a fertigant. The results demonstrated the real possibility of employing blended leachate as a fertigant for the revegetation of the walls of closed landfills. The native plants Lepidium sativum, Lactuca sativa and Atriplex halimus, which suit the local climate, were chosen for this study in Southern Italy. The methodology was structured into three phases: (i) early-stage toxicity assessment phase (apical root length and germination tests), (ii) adult plant resistance assessment phase and (iii) soil properties verification phase. The rationale of the proposed approach was first to look at the distinctive qualities and the potential toxicity in landfill leachates for fertigation purposes. Afterwards, through specific tests, the plants used were ranked in terms of resistance to the aqueous solution that contained leachate. Finally, after long-term irrigation, any possible worsening of soil properties was evaluated. In particular, the plants maintained good health when leachate was blended at concentrations of lower than 25% and 5%, respectively, for Atriplex halimus and Lepidium sativum. Irrigation tests showed good resistance of the plants, even at dosages of 112 and 133.5 mm/m2, at maximum concentrations of 25% and 5%, respectively, for Atriplex halimus and Lepidium sativum. The analysis of the total chlorophyll content and of aerial parts dried weight confirmed the results reported above.

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Abbreviations

ANOVA:

Analysis of variance

AOP:

Advanced oxidation process

BOD:

Biochemical oxygen demand

COD:

Chemical oxygen demand

DMSO:

Dimethylsulfoxide

DOC:

Dissolved organic carbon

EB:

Electron beam

EC50 :

Half maximal effective concentration

ECP:

Electrochemical peroxidation

GI:

Germination index

LOEC:

Lowest observed effect concentration

MATC:

Maximum acceptable toxic concentration

NOEC:

Not observed effect concentration

PEC:

Photoelectrochemical

TSS:

Total suspended solid

US:

Ultrasound

UV:

Ultraviolet

VSS:

Volatile suspended solid

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Acknowledgements

The experimental work was performed within the strategic project PS_057 “Ottimizzazione e recupero ambientale di discariche da RSU”, co-funded by Apulia Region and the European Commission under the POR Puglia 2000-2006 Misura 3.13 “Ricerca e Sviluppo Tecnologico”.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto di Ricerca Sulle Acque, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Viale F. De Blasio 5, 70132, Bari, Italy

    G. Del Moro, C. Pastore, E. Barca, C. Di Iaconi, G. Mascolo & V. Uricchio

  2. Di.S.S.P.A. - Dipartimento di Scienze Suolo, della Pianta e degli Alimenti, Università degli Studi di Bari, Via Amendola 165/A, 70126, Bari, Italy

    G. Brunetti

Authors
  1. G. Del Moro
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  2. C. Pastore
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  3. E. Barca
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  4. C. Di Iaconi
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  5. G. Mascolo
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  6. G. Brunetti
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  7. V. Uricchio
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Correspondence to G. Mascolo .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus

    Despo Fatta-Kassinos

  2. Department of Biomedical, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

    Dionysios D. Dionysiou

  3. Institute of Sustainable and Environmental Chemistry, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Lüneburg, Niedersachsen, Germany

    Klaus Kümmerer

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Del Moro, G. et al. (2014). Reusing Landfill Leachate Within the Framework of a Proper Management of Municipal Landfills. In: Fatta-Kassinos, D., Dionysiou, D., Kümmerer, K. (eds) Wastewater Reuse and Current Challenges . The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 44. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2014_325

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