Electrocatalytic ozonation process supplemented by EDTA-Fe complex for improving the mature landfill leachate treatment.

The present study was to enhance catalytic ozonation process (COP) using ferric (Fe)- ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (Fe-EDTA) integrated with an electrocoagulation (EC) process for landfill leachate pretreatment. For this purpose, the effect of operating parameters such as ozone and Fe-EDTA concentrations, current, initial pH, and reaction time were investigated. The findings revealed that the EC process and single ozonation process (SOP) could alone reduce chemical oxygen demand (COD) in landfill leachate by 23% and 39%; respectively. Moreover, integration of both processes at 100 mA current, 400 mg h ozone concentration, and 3 h reaction time could significantly improve COD reduction to 70%. As well, current efficiency and ozone consumption in the proposed system could considerably develop compared with EC process and SOP. The integrated electro-catalytic SOP using Fe-EDTA could be operated at neutral pH value, which the COD removal efficiency was obtained 79.7%. Subsequently, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)/COD ratio of effluent increased to 0.64. Examining pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetics, it was realized that constant rate in the system had augmented. These results also indicated that the modified process using Fe-EDTA was a promising landfill leachate pretreatment technique that could significantly enhance COD removal efficiency and BOD/COD ratio, and ultimately decrease time and sludge production.