Micropollutants characteristics, fate, and sustainable removal technologies for landfill leachate: A technical perspective

Waste disposal in landfills has gained momentum in the last few decades as it is one among the easy and cost-effective method for waste management for the accelerating global population. Heterogenous nature of the waste ending up in landfills makes it difficult to predict the fate of these pollutants making it difficult for its bio-monitoring and specific treatment. Among the major issues associated with landfill treatment, liquid percolation from this heterogenous waste substrate collectively referred as leachate poses the greater risk to environment through soil and ground water pollution. The diversity of micropollutants presents in landfill leachates ranging from microbial pathogens, pesticides, microplastics, pharmaceuticals and other harmful chemicals calls for crucial attention towards improving methods used for their treatment and removal. This review summarizes the key components of landfill leachates with specific emphasize on micropollutant content of leachate. Further the features of most recent and advanced technologies that were successfully explored for micropollutant removal from landfill leachates are presented in this review.

Automated summary

Landfill waste disposal has become popular in recent decades due to its easy and cost-effective nature for managing waste. However, the heterogeneity of the waste makes it difficult to predict the fate of pollutants, making bio-monitoring and specific treatment challenging. One major issue associated with landfill treatment is leachate, which poses a greater risk of soil and groundwater pollution. The presence of diverse micropollutants in landfill leachates, including microbial pathogens, pesticides, microplastics, pharmaceuticals, and other harmful chemicals, calls for improved methods for their treatment and removal.