Biodegradation of organics in landfill leachate by immobilized white rot fungi, Trametes versicolor BCC 8725

Immobilized Trametes versicolor BCC 8725 was evaluated for the biodegradation of the organic components of four different types of landfill leachate collected at different time periods and locations from the Nonthaburi landfill site of Thailand in batch treatment. The effects of carbon source, ammonia and organic loading on colour, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal, and the reuse of immobilized fungi were investigated. It was found that fungi can remove 78% of colour, reduce BOD by 68% and reduce COD by 57% in leachate within 15 days at optimum conditions. Organic loading and ammonia were the factors that affected the biodegradation. When immobilized T. versicolor on polyurethane foam (PUF) was subjected to repeated use for treatment over the course of three cycles, the decolourization efficiency of the first and the second cycle was very similar, whereas the third cycle was about 20% lower than the first cycle under similar conditions. The obtained removal of colour, BOD and COD indicates the effectiveness of fungi for leachate treatment with high organic loading and varied leachate characteristics.