Treatment of Landfill Leachate by Crossflow Microfiltration and Ozonation

Laboratory scale experiments were conducted for the treatment of landfill leachate using crossflow microfiltration (CFMF) with periodic backflush as a declogging technique. Powdered activated carbon (PAC) was used as for pretreatment, and ozonation was used as posttreatment for CFMF. Single channel tubular ceramic membranes of 0.2 and 1.2 μm pore size were used in this study. The results showed that permeate flux increases with an increased dose of PAC added to the leachate. When membranes of different pore sizes were compared, the 0.2-μm membrane performed better than the 1.2-μm membrane, giving a higher flux as well as higher removal of color and COD. The optimum PAC dose for CFMF was found to be 30 g/L whereas the optimum value for the batch test was found to be 60 g/L.