Fate of Organic Solvents in Landfill Leachates Under Simulated Field Conditions and in Anaerobic Microcosms

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Abstract
Municipal solid waste landfill leachates were stored in holding tanks to simulate an impoundment stabilization stage as part of a wastewater recirculation experiment. The field study was conducted over 2 consecutive years, followed by a laboratory microcosm experiment aimed at differentiating between anaerobic degradation and other processes that might be responsible for the field experiment observations. The compound CFC-113 was added to the field holding tanks and the laboratory microcosms as an indicator of anaerobic activity. The results showed that an anaerobic solution environment promotes rapid dechlorination of chlorinated solvents, but that most aromatic hydrocarbons are not degraded to the same extent. The chlorinated organic solvents contained in the leachate were found to undergo reductive dechlorination typical of anaerobic biological processes.