The use of peat and compost for removal of boron from landfill leachate

Landfill facilities are potential threats to ground and surface water quality, the primary concern being the production of leachate. The Huneault Landfill, located in Gloucester, Ontario, has been receiving industrial commercial and institutional (IC&I) wastes as well as construction/demolition materials since 1971. Boron is one of the main parameters of concern. Two compost sources and a peat soil were evaluated as an adsorption/filtering medium for removal of boron from leachate. Batch adsorption test with two sources of compost and a peat soil were carried out. A non-linear regression analysis procedure was developed and used in order to find the estimates of Freundlich model. Results obtained from the laboratory batch adsorption experiments showed that both sources of compost had similar capacity for adsorption of boron However, the capacity of peat soil for adsorption of boron was significantly higher than both composts. It was also observed that addition of lime could significantly enhance adsorption of boron.