Effects of Waste Derived Biosorbents-Natural Zeolite Combinations For Municipal Dumpsite Leachate Treatment

The problems associated with dumpsites leachates and the heavy metals contamination of groundwater sources in three states of Southeast Nigeria, were identified with potential solutions to address these challenges the study focuses on assessing the effectiveness of batch treatment using various agricultural biomass waste materials (palm kennel shell, sugarcane bagasse, wood savings, and rice husk for the removal of heavy metals from contaminated dumpsite water. Treatment intervals were 30 to 220 minutes with high percentage reduction in heavy metal concentrations within the first 30 minutes. Notably, cobalt (Co), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) concentrations decreased from initial levels of 85.41 ppm, 54.38 ppm, 50.32 ppm, and 62.85 ppm to 26.84 ppm, 6.77 ppm, 25.07 ppm, and 19.80 ppm, respectively. Wood shavings exhibited efficacy among tested biomaterials, attributed to its effective metal removal. Batch sorption tests confirmed the significant decrease in Cd and Pb concentrations, with concentrations falling below 0.5 ppm, indicating high removal efficiency. Column tests further demonstrated the efficacy of the Zeolite-woodshavings mixture in reducing heavy metal concentrations over varying retention times. Findings suggest the potential for implementing permeable reactive barrier systems to mitigate groundwater pollution, also offers valuable insights for addressing environmental challenges in the region.