Hollow-fiber membrane bioreactor for the treatment of high-strength landfill leachate

Performance assessment of membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology for the treatability of high-strength landfill leachate is relatively limited or lacking. This study examines the feasibility of treating high-strength landfill leachate using a hollow-fiber MBR. For this purpose, a laboratory-scale MBR was constructed and operated to treat leachate with a chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 9000-11,000 mg/l, a 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) of 4000-6,000 mg/l, volatile suspended solids (VSS) of 300-500 mg/l, total nitrogen (TN) of 2000-6000 mg/l, and an ammonia-nitrogen (NH3-N) of 1800-4000 mg/l. VSS was used with the BOD and COD data to simulate the biological activity in the activated sludge. Removal efficiencies > 95-99% for BOD5, VSS, TN and NH3-N were attained. The coupled experimental and simulation results contribute in filling a gap in managing high-strength landfill leachate and providing guidelines for corresponding MBR application.