Waste reclamation from municipal solid waste for the cost-efficient treatment of landfill leachate with a novel biological trickle reactor system

Mature landfill leachate (MLL) would be a tough nut to crack, how to realize waste reclamation while deal with the intractable by-products deserves for more considerations. In this study, a novel system, equipped with two biological trickle reactors developed by inert wastes and a connected organic feeder using waste-recycling rotten banana powder, was established for treating MLL. Results indicated that superior pollutant removal performance and long-term stability were achieved by this system, with only COD and TN concentrations slightly higher than the relevant standard limits. But the shortage about poor resistance to shock pollution loads, was underlined by the fluctuation of water quality. Anaerobic condition and carbon source supplementation contributed to more microbial similarities but less community richness and diversity among inert fillings, and the selective enrichment of denitrification and organic-degrading strains simultaneously occurred. The comparisons with common processes demonstrated that this system was a cost-efficient choice for MLL treatment.