Microplastics in landfill and leachate: Occurrence, environmental behavior and removal strategies

Plastic wastes buried in landfill are gradually broken and decomposed into microplastics under physical, chemical and biological effects, bringing environmental risks to the exploitation of waste resources. Landfill leachate as a potential source of environmental microplastics has not good attention. Microplastics in leachate carry toxic and harmful pollutants and antibiotic resistance genes, and these vectors pose greater risks to human and environmental health without systematic treatment. Recently, the main technologies of landfill leachate treatment process include order batch activated sludge process, membrane biological reaction process, flocculation process, combined filtration process, and constructed wetland process. However, there is still little knowledge about microplastic removal of the existing leachate treatment facilities, and some technologies to alleviate the sources of such microplastics should be timely developed. This paper systematically summarizes the occurrence of plastics, microplastics and nanoplastics in leachate and their interactive pollution with other toxic pollutants. Meanwhile, the prospects of their environmental behaviors in landfill and leachate are put forward. The microplastic removal by existing leachate treatment equipment and the limitations and challenges to upgrading process of development and implementation are also discussed. The paper can provide a scientific basis for studying the fate of microplastics in landfill and leachate.

Automated summary

This paper provides a systematic summary of the occurrence of plastics, microplastics, and nanoplastics in landfill leachate and their interaction with other pollutants. It discusses the potential risks posed by microplastics in leachate, as well as the different technologies used for leachate treatment. The paper also highlights the limitations and challenges of existing microplastic removal techniques and calls for the development of new technologies to address this issue. This study serves as a scientific basis for further research on the fate of microplastics in landfill and leachate.