RESUMO

Over the past few years, supercritical water oxidation (ScWO) has shown great potential for application to landfill leachate treatment, providing substantial organic matter degradation in terms of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and total organic carbon (TOC). However, the conversion of ammonia, which is present at high concentrations in leachates, is the rate-limiting step during ScWO and usually requires large amounts of oxidants, the addition of catalysts, or severe operating conditions. Aiming at proposing a treatment system that effectively removes both organic matter and ammonia from leachate, this paper evaluates the intensification of the ScWO process through ion exchange with zeolite. Thus, ScWO was operated under a pressure of 23 MPa at 600 and 700 °C, without the addition of oxidants. The zeolite (clinoptilolite) was used without any modification inside a glass column. The ScWO (600 °C)/zeolite system removed 90% ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-N), 100% nitrite (NO2-N), 98% nitrate (NO3-N), color, and turbidity, 81% TOC, and 74% COD, suggesting that this system is a promising alternative for leachate treatment. However, the final NH3-N and COD values were slightly above the limits (20 and 200 mg L-1, respectively) stipulated by the Brazilian environmental legislation. These results suggest that further improvements are still required for the application of the intensified ScWO to be feasible. Notably, ammonium-saturated clinoptilolite is amenable for regeneration or can be applied to soil as a slow-release fertilizer.

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Resumo A destinação dos Lodos de Fossa e Tanque Séptico (LFTS) tem resultado em problemas ambientais e de saúde pública, devido principalmente à falta de alternativas adequadas para a destinação, e de fiscalização mais rigorosa. O problema se agrava em municípios desprovidos de estações de tratamento de esgoto, já que a disposição nesses sistemas tem sido a prática mais utilizada no país. Desta forma, a presente pesquisa teve por finalidade avaliar os efeitos da disposição desses lodos no desempenho, operação e manutenção de lagoas de estabilização que tratam lixiviados. O sistema estudado é composto por dois módulos idênticos de lagoa anaeróbia seguida de facultativa, de modo que o módulo receptor de LFTS foi submetido, durante seis meses, a diferentes taxas de aplicação volumétrica de lodo por lixiviado (13 a 204%). Utilizou-se o teste t de Student, para a análise estatística. Os resultados indicaram que, para a taxa máxima, o efluente do módulo receptor apresentou concentrações 1,8; 2,0; e 9,0 vezes superiores ao testemunho, para fósforo, nitrogênio amoniacal e E. coli, respectivamente. Além disso, houve aumento de lodo sedimentado na lagoa anaeróbia receptora (3,5 vezes em relação à testemunho) e formação de escuma (0,4 m3 por mês). Entretanto, as interferências na operação e manutenção são de simples solução, pois esses resíduos podem ser destinados no próprio aterro e os padrões de lançamento em corpos hídricos não foram contrariados. Desta forma, as lagoas de estabilização que tratam lixividados apresentam-se como uma alternativa competitiva para a destinação dos LFTS, resguardadas as condições operacionais estudadas.

Abstract The destination of septage has resulted in environmental and public health problems, due especially to the lack of adequate alternatives for its destination and of closer, more rigorous monitoring. The problem worsens in areas lacking sewage treatment plants, since the disposal in such systems has been the most widely used practice in the country. In this way, the current research aims to evaluate the effects of the sludge disposal in the performance, operation and maintenance of waste stabilization ponds that treat landfill leachate. The treatment system studied is composed by two modules of identical anaerobic ponds followed by facultative ponds. For six months, the receiver modul was submitted to different rates of volumetric sludge application by leachate (13 to 204%). Student's t test was used for statistics analysis. The results indicated that for the maximum rate, the receiver module effluent showed concentrations 1.8; 2.0; and 9.0 times higher than the control modul, phosphorus, ammonia nitrogen and E. coli, respectively. In addition, there was an increase in the sedimented sludge in the receiving anaerobic pond (3.5 times in relation to the control group) and scum formation (0.4 m3 per month). However, the interferences in the operation and maintenance have simple solutions, since these residues may be sorted in the landfill itself and the release patterns in water bodies were not thwarted. In this way, the stabilization ponds that treat leachate present a competitive alternative for the destination of septage, safeguarding all operating conditions studied.

RESUMO

The sanitary landfill leachate is a dark liquid, of highly variable composition, with recalcitrant features that hamper conventional biological treatment. The physical-chemical characteristics of the leachate along the landfill aging, as well as their effects on the efficiency of the conventional treatment, were evaluated at this paper. The feasibility of photoelectrooxidation process as an alternative technique for treatment of landfill leachates was also determined. Photoelectrooxidation experiments were conducted in a bench-scale reactor. Analysis of the raw leachate revealed many critical parameters demonstrating that the recalcitrance of leachate tends to increase with time, directly influencing the decline in efficiency of the conventional treatment currently employed. The effects of current density and lamp power were investigated. Using a 400 W power lamp and a current density of 31.5 mA cm(-)(2), 53% and 61% efficiency for the removal of ammoniacal nitrogen and chemical oxygen demand were respectively achieved by applying photoelectrooxidation process. With the removal of these pollutants, downstream biological treatment should be improved. These results demonstrate that photoelectrooxidation is a feasible technique for the treatment of sanitary landfill leachate, even considering this effluent's high resistance to treatment.

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Foi monitorado o impacto do tratamento combinado de lixiviado e esgoto doméstico de uma estação de tratamento operando em escala piloto por processo de lodos ativados, sobre peixes do gênero Tilapia: Biomarcadores de toxicidade (concentração de metalotioneínas, atividade da acetilcolinesterase, metábolitos de HPA e presença de micronúcleos) foram utilizados na avaliação dos riscos de danos aos organismos aquáticos devido à interação com poluentes contidos nos efluentes pós-tratamento. A concentração de metalotioneínas não apresentou variação significativa entre os grupos expostos e de controle. A atividade da enzima acetilcolinesterase foi inibida em apenas um dos grupos expostos, indicando possível presença de agentes inibidores no efluente tratado. A avaliação dos metabólitos dos HPA naftaleno, pireno, benzo(a)pireno e 1-hidroxipireno sinalizou a provável presença desses compostos em ao menos um dos afluentes do tratamento combinado. As frequências de micronúcleos e outras anormalidade nucleares eritrocitárias também apontam para maior incidência de danos genotóxicos em células dos organismos expostos do que nos controles. O uso de biomarcadores mostrou-se importante para possibilitar uma avaliação de danos subletais presentes em organismos expostos à fonte de poluição estudada.

The impact on tilapia fish of combined treatment of landfill leachate and domestic sewage was monitored in a waste treatment plant that operated on a pilot scale using the activated sludge process. Biomarkers of sub-lethal toxicity were used to indicate the possibility of damage to organisms due to interaction with pollutants. The concentration of metallothioneins did not indicate the increased presence of metals in fish exposed than in control groups. Acetylcholinesterase enzyme activity was inhibited in only one of the exposed groups, indicating the possible presence of organophosphate and/or carbamate pesticides in treated effluent. The PAHs used as biomarkers (naphthalene, pyrene, benzo(a)pyrene and 1-hydroxypyrene) indicated that exposed fish had a greater absorption of PAHs than control groups of fish, indicating the likely presence of these compounds in at least one of the combined treatment effluents. The frequencies of micronuclei and other erythrocytic nuclear abnormalities also indicate greater genotoxic damage in cells of organisms exposed than in control groups. The use of biomarkers proved to be important to permit an evaluation of sub-lethal damage present in organisms exposed to the pollution source studied.

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A disposição de lixiviados de aterros de resíduos sólidos urbanos é um grande problema de saúde ambiental, com impactos sobre a saúde das populações que vivem em áreas circunvizinhas, devido às características poluentes deste lixiviado. Uma opção é coletar e direcionar o lixiviado para estações de tratamento de esgotos, nas quais podem ser tratados conjuntamente com o esgoto doméstico. A viabilidade dessa opção depende da existência de rede coletora de esgotos próxima ao aterro e da capacidade da estação de tratamento em assimilar as cargas, sobretudo orgânica e nitrogenada, advindas do lixiviado. Este trabalho apresenta uma revisão bibliográfica sobre o tratamento combinado de lixiviado e esgoto doméstico. Os estudos realizados mostram que a quantidade limite de lixiviado a ser recebida em estações de tratamento, sem comprometer a qualidade do efluente final, não é fixa, dada a grande variabilidade da composição dos lixiviados. Entretanto, a maioria dos estudos não apresenta variações significativas de qualidade para efluentes do tratamento combinado com até 2% de volume de lixiviado.

The disposal of municipal solid waste landfill leachates is a major environmental health problem, with impacts on the health of people living in surrounding areas due to the characteristics of leachate pollutants. One option is to collect and direct the leachate to sewage treatment plants, where it can be co-treated with domestic sewage. The viability of this option depends on the existence of sewerage near the landfill and the treatment plant capacity to absorb the loads, especially organic and nitrogen, stemming from leachate. This paper presents a literature review on combined treatment of leachate and domestic sewage. Studies show that the quantity limit of leachate to be received on treatment plants, without compromising the quality of the final effluent, is not fixed, given the great variability in the composition of leachate. However, most studies present no significant variations in quality for effluent treatment combined with up to 2% of the volume of leachate.