Landfill Leachate Characteristics

Landfilling is an engineered alternative for the safe disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) and hazardous waste. To dispose of solid waste, most countries use the initial phase of landfilling in the form of open dumping. Landfill leachate, gas emissions, and odor control are presented as issues of designing and operating a landfill. In fact, leachate is considered highly contaminated wastewater because it contains dissolved organic compounds, inorganic macro compounds and heavy metals. Therefore, leachate characterization is a crucial step towards preventing pollution and evaluating the performance leachate treatment alternatives. Furthermore, it is important to discuss some challenges in landfill leachate management and treatment. Accordingly, this chapter will introduce and summarize different topics related to landfill leachate characterization, including physical/chemical characterization and leachate generation and composition factors. Finally, future trends in landfill Leachate Management that could improve leachate quality are further discussed.