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Comparative analysis of trace contaminants in leachates before and after a pre-oxidation using a solar photo-Fenton reaction

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Abstract

Sanitary landfill leachates are a complex mixture of high-strength organic and inorganic persistent contaminants, which constitute a serious environmental problem. In this study, trace contaminants present in leachates were investigated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-flame ionization detector before and after a pre-oxidation step using a solar photo-Fenton process. More than 40 organic compounds were detected and identified as benzene (0.09 ± 0.07 mg L-1), trichlorophenol (TCP) (0.18 ± 0.12 mg L-1), phthalate esters (Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), Butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)) (DBP: 0.47 ± 0.01 mg L-1; BBP: 0.36 ± 0.02 mg L-1; DEHP: 0.18 ± 0.01 mg L-1), among others. Toluene, pentachlorophenol, dimethyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, and Di-n-octyl phthalate were never detected in any of the samples. After the photo-Fenton treatment process, TCP decreased to levels below its detection limit, benzene concentration increased approximately three times, and DBP concentration decreased about 77 % comparatively to the raw leachate sample. The solar photo-Fenton process was considered to be very efficient for the treatment of sanitary landfill leachates, leading to the complete elimination of 24 of the detected micropollutants to levels below their respective detection limits and low to significant abatement of seven other organic compounds, thus resulting in an increase of the leachate biodegradability.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partially supported by project PEst-C/EQB/LA0020/2011, financed by FEDER through COMPETE—Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade, and by FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia. Financial support for this work was also provided by EFACEC Ambiente SA. E. Rocha acknowledges her Ph.D. scholarship by Coord. de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior —CAPES Process 0340/09-0. V. Vilar’s acknowledges Ciência 2008 Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Tecnologia, Departamento de Engenharia Civil e Ambiental, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Cidade Universitária, Campus I, 58059-900, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil

    Elisangela M. R. Rocha

  2. Centro de Tecnologia, Departamento de Engenharia Hidráulica e Ambiental, Laboratório de Saneamento (LABOSAN), Universidade Federal do Ceará, Campus do Pici, s/n - Bloco 713, 60451-970, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil

    Francisco S. Mota

  3. LSRE - Laboratory of Separation and Reaction Engineering - Associate Laboratory LSRE/LCM, Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal

    Vítor J. P. Vilar & Rui A. R. Boaventura

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  1. Elisangela M. R. Rocha
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  2. Francisco S. Mota
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  3. Vítor J. P. Vilar
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  4. Rui A. R. Boaventura
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Correspondence to Vítor J. P. Vilar.

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Rocha, E.M.R., Mota, F.S., Vilar, V.J.P. et al. Comparative analysis of trace contaminants in leachates before and after a pre-oxidation using a solar photo-Fenton reaction. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20, 5994–6006 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-1608-y

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