Browsing by Author "Addai, Peter Gyamera Kofi"

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    Bioremediation of Landfill Leachate in a Bioreactor Usimg Microorganisms Isolated From Leachate
    (2011-06-13) Addai, Peter Gyamera Kofi
    This study was to provide an improved alternative to leachate treatment currently practiced at Oti, an engineered landfill treatment site in Kumasi, Ghana. Landfill leachate was treated using a fixed bed bioreactor with immobilized indigenous heavy metal resistant microorganisms on bamboo support pieces. The heavy metal resistant microorganisms used were isolated from the landfill leachate. Samples from the bioreactor were monitored for levels of BOD5, COD, organic nitrogen, ammonia-nitrogen, total nitrogen and heavy metal concentrations (Zn, Pb, Cu, Cd). Temperature, conductivity and pH changes were monitored daily. There was an 82.30%, reduction in BOD5, 12.77% in COD, 87.46% in ammonia-nitrogen, 13.17% in organic nitrogen, 78.69% in total nitrogen, and 23.17% in conductivity levels. The treatment system currently in place at the Oti engineered landfill site showed higher reductions for COD (67.76%), organic nitrogen (62.04%), and electrical conductivity (71.11%) as compared to the fixed bed bioreactor. The fixed bed bioreactor did not show any significant reduction in the concentrations of zinc, lead, copper and cadmium as compared to the treatment system at the landfill site. The fixed bed bioreactor is more effective in treating the high biochemical oxygen demand, ammonia-nitrogen and total nitrogen concentrations of landfill leachate. However, the relatively high residual chemical oxygen demand and electrical conductivity observed after treatment in both systems considered necessitates the addition of a secondary treatment system to treat the recalcitrant organic and inorganic compounds in leachate.