LEACHATE NITROGEN CONCENTRATIONS AND BACTERIAL NUMBERS FROM SEVERAL BIOREACTOR LANDFILLS

摘要

The U.S. EPA and Waste Management Inc. have entered into a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) to study landfills operated as bioreactors. Two different landfill bioreactor configurations are currently being tested at the Outer Loop landfill in Louisville, KY. First, a retrofitted bioreactor is operated by recirculating leachate through existing landfill cells after treatment of nitrogen in the leachate using a sequencing batch reactor. A second aerobic/anaerobic bioreactor is being tested involving an initial aerobic stage to achieve faster degradation of waste. This stage will be followed by addition of leachate and the creation of anaerobic conditions to achieve stabilization. Leachate samples from the reactors were collected and analyzed for the different species of nitrogen. Samples were also analyzed for counts of denitrifying bacteria.