A Comprehensive Review on Landfill Leachate Characteristics and Biogas Generation Potential from Anaerobic Digestion of Landfill Leachate

Landfill leachate is the percolated liquid from the discarded waste; it is defined by a high COD, BOD, in addition to the presence of unwanted organic and inorganic pollutants. This review compiles findings from numerous studies on landfill leachate treatment methods focusing on anaerobic digestion and biogas generation potential of landfill leachate. The studies in this paper investigate the characteristics of landfill leachate in major landfill sites in India. In this study chemical oxygen demand was found to be as high as 25110mg/l in an Indian landfill site. Different leachate treatment methods were investigated in this study. Biological treatment is an advantageous method as it can achieve removal efficiency up to 90% of COD from the leachate with biogas yield of 6 to 8 liter/day. Furthermore, due to its high chemical oxygen demand and biodegradability, anaerobic digestion treatment approaches for treating landfill leachate have been shown effective.