Innovative Leachate Treatment Technology, 2004 Paper Summit, Spring Technical & International Environmental Conference, (including Papermakers; Process Control, Electrical & Information; Product & Product Quality)
A full size industrial pilot scale trial is now underway at a pulp and paper mill site on leachate treatment using an
innovative technology. This chemical-free technology is essentially based on many physical mechanisms occurring
in multiple reactor vessels. They are namely: mechanical sieving, static settling, cavitation, flotation, shear stress,
oxidation, degassing, sonoluminescence, air supersaturation effects and pressure, salinity, temperature and velocity
variations. The main objective of this ongoing experimental research work is to evaluate the global efficiency of this
technology under real industrial conditions in order to determine its capability to produce an effluent in compliance
with very stringent pollution standards set for this particular stream. Actual treatment of this leachate requires its
transportation from the landfill site to the mill’s wastewater treatment plant. This represents an important cost,
particularly in the spring. This on-site treatment project is foreseen to be a very attractive, economical alternative.
To date, the best performances obtained with this technology installed in situ were reductions of over 99 % for COD,
BOD5, RFA, Metal Ions, Suspended Solids and Total Sulfides and over 98 % for Phenolic Compounds. Generally
speaking, the treated leachate was in full compliance with the environmental standards set by the legal authorities for
direct stream discharge.