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Performance of a system of natural wetlands in leachate of a posttreatment landfill

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Abstract

Phytoremediation is an emerging technology in landfill leachate posttreatment. The evaluation of a system composed of three natural wetlands. The wetlands vegetation cover was monitored during 2 years by estimating the coverage area of the macrophytes. Chemical analyzes of the effluent were conducted monthly. The monitoring and identification of macrophytes indicated that the vegetation structure was represented by four species of higher relative cover: Pistia stratiotes L. (water lettuce), Echinochloa polystachya (Kunth) Hitchc. (creeping river grass), Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms (water hyacinth) and Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb. The system of natural wetlands had an average efficiency of 75 % for biochemical oxygen demand, 63 % for chemical oxygen demand, 84 % for ammoniacal nitrogen, 89 % for total nitrogen and 70 % for phosphorus. The concentrations of heavy metals in the roots, as well as in the branches of E. crassipes and E. polystachya, lead us to the conclusion that such species perform phytoextraction for Cd and Pb accumulating the metals in the biomass. The results show that this is a viable alternative that can be associated with forms of conventional treatment of leachate, such as the treatment with aerobic and facultative ponds.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Municipal Environment Secretary and the Municipality of Curitiba and Positivo University for supporting the study. The second author wishes to thank CAPES, CNPq, FAPERJ and DAAD for the constant support in the development of their research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. GETRES, Group of Study of Technology and Treatment of Waste, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Ilha do Fundão, Caixa Postal (P.O. Box) 68506, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    K. H. Preussler & C. F. Mahler

  2. Graduate Program in Industrial Biotechnology and Graduate Program in Environmental Management, Universidade Positivo (UP), R. Prof. Pedro Viriato Parigot de Souza, 5300, Curitiba, PR, CEP: 81.280-330, Brazil

    L. T. Maranho

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  1. K. H. Preussler
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  2. C. F. Mahler
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  3. L. T. Maranho
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Correspondence to L. T. Maranho.

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Preussler, K.H., Mahler, C.F. & Maranho, L.T. Performance of a system of natural wetlands in leachate of a posttreatment landfill. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 12, 2623–2638 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-014-0674-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-014-0674-0

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