Membranes in Landfill Leachate Treatment: Evaluation of the Generated Concentrate

The current chapter explores different aspects of the reverse osmosis (RO) process for landfill leachate management. As the foremost or polishing step in a leachate treatment chain, the RO must meet the most restrictive water discharge or reuse standards. Indeed, high-pressure-driven membranes (e.g., RO and nanofiltration) have been used in several landfill sites to treat wastewater efficiently. However, concentrate management is critical for closing the leachate treatment cycle. The management of membrane concentrate streams and related issues are analyzed in this context, following our early experimental case study. Experimental landfill cells were constructed to investigate the impacts of concentrate recirculation practice on the leachate quality and treatment performance. The findings from an eight-month monitoring experiment are briefly presented. Finally, prospects for the disposal of concentrate streams from the RO system are discussed.