Ozone catalysed with solids as an advanced oxidation process for landfill leachate treatment

Heterogeneous catalytic ozonation (HCO) of wastewater is gaining both research and industrial interests. It is proved to be an advanced oxidation process since it involves hydroxyl radicals as oxidation species. Few studies have been carried out to test HCO in the treatment of landfill leachates. This work has been carried out to test three types of catalysts: activated carbon (AC), expanded perlite (EP) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) combined with ozone at 80 g/m(3) gas concentration for the treatment of a leachate generated by Jebel Chakir landfill site near Tunis-capital of Tunisia. The work has shown a reduction in COD of about 45% and an increase in biodegradability (BOD5/COD) from 0.1 to 0.34. A catalyst concentration of 0.7 g/L was found optimal for the treatment of the leachate.