Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Treatment of landfill leachate using Zea mays and Triticum sp. on antropogenic soils 

Author(s):

Igor Cretescu ¹, Corneliu Pohontu ¹, Catalina Iticescu ², Maria Cioroi ², Ramona Carla Ciocinta ³, Daniel Bucur ^{1, 3}*

Recieved Date: 2013-06-02, Accepted Date: 2013-10-16

Abstract:

This paper proposed an efficiency treatment method for landfill leachate taking into consideration the costs/performance ratio. This method consists of the controlled discharge of leachate on anthropogenic soils, followed by their rehabilitation through phytoremediation, using crop plants such as corn (Zea mays) and other cereals (Triticum sp.). The leachate from contaminated soils can be recycled as nutrients for the plants growing, respectively, for biomass production. The introduction of the landfill leachate in the natural cycles requires its diluting with water up to an acceptable ammonia concentration, allowing its use as a natural fertilizer for plants optimal growing, by its distribution in the soil. The soils contaminated with landfill leachate are generally also rich in heavy metals, their concentration being strongly pH-dependent. Selected crop plants display a high capacity to adapt to frequently changing physico-chemical conditions of the growing environment. The behavior of the selected plants in a normal life cycle is similar to the one of a biosorbent with respect of the capture of heavy metal ions. The heavy metal contents and other indicators concerning the composition were determined using the atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) technique following the common sample preparation methodology. The organic matter from the leachate is a proper nutritive medium for optimal plants feeding, by increasing the carbon content and by adding nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients as ions (ammonium, nitrate and phosphate) from the leachate composition. After the soil phytoremediation by this strategy, the mature plants can be dried and incinerated for the energy recovery, according to the integrated management strategy, while the heavy metals remain captured in the ash. 

Keywords:

Landfill leachate, phytoremediation, soil, heavy metals

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Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2013
Volume: 11
Issue: 3&4
Category: Environment
Pages: 1507-1512

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