Assessment of leachates from a Cuban municipal solid waste landfill: Characterisation and treatment

Calle 100 landfill receives 75% of the solid waste of Havana. In this work, the physical-chemical and microbiological evaluation and the treatment of its leachates was carried out. The study of the elimination of pollutants was carried out at laboratory scale. The characterisation showed an important content in organic substances of high molecular weight, fulvic and humic acids that have a toxic character. The use of anaerobic filter at low organic charge (3 kg/m3.day) allows fulfilling the Cuban discharge guideline, but at high organic charge the filter is unable to eliminate the organic pollution. In the case of the use of ozone, there was an increase of the biodegradability because BOD5/COD ratio increases from 0.30 up to 0.45; ozonation also allows a material solubilisation process. The best results were obtained when advanced primary treatment followed by ozonation and anaerobic filter was used. This treatment scheme allows a reduction of 60% in turbidity, colour, optical density at 254 nm and chemical oxygen demand and a decrease higher than 99.99% for coliforms. The economic estimate shows a cost of 1.4 USD/m3.Copyright © 2014 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.