Evaluation of membrane microfiltration fouling in landfill leachate treatment

Abstract

The membrane separation capacity allows the retention of the remaining organic matter that could not be removed by the biological process, increasing the treatment efficiency. The aim of this study was to evaluate the microfiltration (MF) process in a tertiary treatment system for landfill leachate from the Rincão das Flores, Caxias do Sul/RS/Brazil. The microfiltration system of commercial hollow fiber membrane poly(etherimide) was tested in oder to promote leachate treatment. The tests carried out were leachate permeation, concentration factor, determination of fouling and obtention of the values of the resitance to the flux. The resistance due to fouling and flux decline were evaluated to determine the best operating conditions. The potential for fouling was 53% and was evaluated by comparing the pure water permeability before and after the leachate filtration. It was observed that the resistance due to fouling express 32% of the total resistance. The results showed that the MF process allows the elimination of up to 43% of the organic matter measured as chemical oxygen demand (COD) and 63% of that measured as biological oxygen demand (BOD5).