Removal of ammoniacal nitrogen from municipal landfill leachate with floating <i>Typha domingensis</i> (Typhaceae)

Abstract

A promising method for the treatment of effluents is the use of floating macrophytes. Ammoniacal nitrogen is a typical compound present in urban landfill leachates and its removal is important due its toxicity to several organisms. Therefore, the study evaluated Typha domingensis survival and nitrification potential artificially floating in domestic solid waste leachate. Plants were exposed for 35 days to leachate (100, 75 and 50 %) and to rainwater with N:P:K (control). Dissolved oxygen (DO) of the treatments was periodically measured, and ammoniacal nitrogen, nitrite and nitrate were analyzed before and after exposure. At the end of the experiment, plant survival rate was calculated. After two weeks, DO increased twice in the control, three times in 50 % leachate, four times in 75 % leachate, and eight times in 100 % leachate. At the end of the experiment, ammoniacal nitrogen was no longer detected, there was a significant reduction of nitrite, and a significant increase of nitrate in the treatments containing leachate. Plant survival was higher in those individuals exposed to 100 % leachate and decreased at lower leachate concentrations: 98 %, 94 %, 92 %, and 86 %. The study demonstrated that the ammoniacal nitrogen concentration of the leachate was not toxic to T. domingensis, and that it was efficient in the removal of this compound from the effluent, indicating that the species may be used artificially floating for the removal of this contaminant from domestic solid waste landfill leachate when in low concentrations.

Keywords

• Cattail
• macrophyte
• nitrification
• phytoremediation