Evaluating the impacts of leachate co-treatment on a full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plant in Canada.

Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate the impacts of leachate co-treatment on a full-scale municipal WWTP by comparing plant performance at varying levels of leachate contributions and hydraulic loadings. Leachate BOD:COD ratio was 0.08 ± 0.07 and indicated a stabilized, old matrix and concentrations of zinc, iron, aluminum, chloride and sulfate were 0.174, 38, 1.47, 1803 and 119.1 mg/L, respectively. The average volumetric leachate ratio (VLR%) was approximately 0.01% corresponding to a daily volume of 30 m3 but reaching a maximum of 270 m3 (VLR% = 0.1%) and fluctuating on a daily-basis. A cluster analysis revealed 5 VLR% groupings that were used for subsequent analyses: no leachate, 0