LANDFILL LEACHATE NUTRIENT RECOVERY BY WILLOW SHORT ROTATION COPPICE I. YIELD, TISSUE COMPOSITION AND WOOD QUALITY

Summary Landfill leachate is composed of a variety of organic and inorganic components that require treatment before it can be discharged to natural waters. Landfill operators are seeking to develop sustainable cost effective methods for landfill leachate management particularly for remote or abandoned sites with leachates having low concentrations of contaminants. This study evaluated the application of willow short rotation coppice (SRC) as a leachate treatment option. The results indicated that the willow SRC could effectively treat the leachate significantly attenuating the leachate contamination reducing the environmental burden of the discharged leachate. Additionally the willow benefited from the fertiliser value of the leachate components increasing the willow yield without detriment to the wood quality. Therefore willow SRC acts to beneficially recover value from the leachate contaminants rather than simply remove them to another medium as in other wastewater systems.