Analytical pyrolysis of re-circulated leachates: Towards an improved municipal waste treatment

The harmless removal of municipal solid waste (MSW) requires the biodegradation of organic matter to decrease the risk of gaseous emissions and leaching of contaminants. We studied the re-circulation of leachates from an aerobic treated MSW in a lysimeter and compared these results with a similar laboratory study using small-scale reactors. The reduction of total organic C and biological and chemical oxygen demands provided clear evidence for the biodegradation of organic matter in MSW after 12 months of leachate re-circulation. Curie-point pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) and pyrolysis-field ionization mass spectrometry (Py-FIMS) revealed that the biodegradation was more efficient in the large-scale lysimeter than in the laboratory reactors. Different from the laboratory experiments, carbohydrates and N-containing compounds were decomposed almost completely after 2 months. Furthermore, temperature-resolved Py-FIMS showed that leachate re-circulation led to a higher thermal stability of the residual, non-decomposed organic matter. In summary, the two analytical pyrolysis methods proved that the re-circulation of leachates through MSW promoted organic matter biodegradation and offers an improved aerobic waste treatment technology.