Sanitary landfill leachates present high concentrations of carbonaceous and nitrogenous materials. The crucial point is that carbonaceous materials are of difficult biodegradation, what compromises the performance of biological treatment processes, while nitrogenous materials, such as ammonia nitrogen, probably preclude the use of biological treatments. Therefore, the aim of this work was to study the desorption process of ammonia nitrogen from sanitary landfill leachate in filling towers. Desorption was carried out in filling towers of 35 L capacity. The leachate was collected from a sanitary landfill located in João Pessoa, Paraíba State, Brazil. Desorption efficiency for the pH values adopted in four treatments was 93% minimum and 95.5% maximum, with aeration mean time ranging from 3 to 6 hours. The limiting factors of ammonia nitrogen desorption from sanitary landfill leachates in filling towers are associated with the use of alkalizer species for pH correction, and electricity costs for aeration.
leachate; ammonia nitrogen; filling tower; desorption
