Co-removal of phthalic acid esters with dissolved organic matter from landfill leachate by coagulation and flocculation process

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the feasibility of removing phthalic acid esters (PAEs) from fresh and partially stabilized landfill leachates by a coagulation and flocculation (CF) process. This study was focused on the characterization of leachate dissolved organic matter (DOM) and its relationship with PAEs removal, through measures such as: three-dimensional excitation emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy, UV/Vis absorbance and molecular weight (MW) fractionation of leachate. The results showed that less than 32% of the PAEs in the fresh leachate could be removed with a CF process. The removal of PAEs in the fresh leachate was related to the hydrophobicity of PAEs and the MW of the leachate DOM. For the partially stabilized leachate, the reduction of PAEs was about 50%. The decrease of the PAEs concentrations had a close relationship with the high aromaticity and large MW of the DOM present in the raw leachate. The humic–PAEs complex enhanced the PAEs removal in the CF process.