학술논문

Experimental plant for the physical-chemical treatment of groundwater polluted by Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) leachate, with ammonia recovery
Document Type
article
Source
Revista Ambiente & Água. December 2013 8(3)
Subject
ammonia-stripping
landfill leachate
aquifer reclamation
Language
English
ISSN
1980-993X
Abstract
The paper documents the results of the experimental treatment of groundwater (flow rate: 300 m³ h-1) polluted by the leachate of an old MSW landfill (7 million tonnes) in northern Italy. The process consists of a coagulation-flocculation pre-treatment at pH > 11, and subsequent ammonia stripping, after heating the water to 35-38 ºC by means of the biogas produced by the landfill. The stripped ammonia was recovered by absorption with sulfuric acid, producing a 30% solution of ammonium sulfate, which was reused as a base fertilizer. In addition, the paper reports important operational aspects related to the scaling of the stripping tower's packing and its effect on pH and temperature profiles inside the towers caused by the closed loop, which recirculates the stripping air coming from the ammonia absorption towers with sulfuric acid. The average removal efficiency of ammonia reached 95.4% with an inlet mean concentration of 199.0 mg L-1.