Several environmental problems in Brazil are due to the rapid growth of various productive sectors, and the resulting qualitative multiplicity of municipal solid waste that are generated. The disposal of solid waste in landfills is a common practice; however, it requires environment protection measures, including the treatment of leachate. This work conducted in sand filters and activated carbon column refers to physical and chemical treatment of leachate as an alternative to the biological process. Regarding the filtration process, the results showed reductions of up to 74% for COD, 47% for BOD, 93% for color, 90% for ammonia and an increase from 0.3 to 0.9 in BOD5/COD relation. Limitations were found in relation to filtration run, which suggests the evaluation of other size grains and even treatment technologies.
leachate; physical and chemical treatment; upflow direct filtration; landfill
