Landfill leachate, a highly complex and toxic wastewater, which poses significant environmental and public health risks due to its heavy metal content. The ubiquitous presence of toxic metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, and chromium in leachate poses significant environmental and health risks, necessitating efficient and economical remediation strategies. Traditional methods, while effective, can be prohibitively expensive, especially for large-scale operations or in regions with limited financial resources. Consequently, there is a growing imperative to identify and implement treatment solutions that balance efficacy with affordability. This includes exploring the potential of widely available and low-cost adsorbents like agricultural by-products (e.g., rice husks, banana peels, sawdust), industrial wastes (e.g., fly ash, blast furnace slag), and natural minerals (e.g., zeolites, clays). Furthermore, innovative technologies such as constructed wetlands, bio-sorption using specific microbial communities, and electrochemical methods utilizing inexpensive electrodes are being investigated for their economic viability and environmental sustainability. The overarching goal is to develop practical, scalable, and cost-efficient approaches to mitigate metal pollution from leachate, thereby safeguarding water resources and public health. The focus on cost-effectiveness is intrinsically linked to the principles of sustainable waste management. Leachate treatment often represents a significant operational cost for landfill operators, and the economic burden can impede the adoption of necessary environmental protection measures. Therefore, research into low-cost materials and technologies is paramount. This abstract will critically review the performance of various cost-effective adsorbents, considering their adsorption capacity, selectivity for specific metals, regeneration potential, and operational stability. It will also delve into the technological aspects of implementing these solutions, evaluating factors such as energy consumption, land footprint, and ease of operation and maintenance. The integration of these affordable materials and technologies into existing leachate management infrastructure is explored, with an emphasis on their potential to reduce overall treatment costs and enhance the long-term sustainability of landfill operations. By highlighting these economically viable options, this work aims to provide a comprehensive overview for researchers, engineers, and policymakers seeking practical solutions for effective and affordable heavy metal removal from leachate.
| Published in | Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering (Volume 9, Issue 2) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.jcebe.20250902.13 |
| Page(s) | 61-71 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Leachate, Heavy Metals, Cost-Effective, Adsorption, Biosorption, Phytoremediation, Low-Cost Materials, Wastewater Treatment
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APA Style
Aluvihara, S., Pestano-Gupta, F., Chauhan, B. S., Omar, M. H., Alam, S. F., et al. (2025). Cost-Effective Materials and Technologies for the Removals of Metals and Heavy Metals from Leachate: A Review. Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering, 9(2), 61-71. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jcebe.20250902.13
ACS Style
Aluvihara, S.; Pestano-Gupta, F.; Chauhan, B. S.; Omar, M. H.; Alam, S. F., et al. Cost-Effective Materials and Technologies for the Removals of Metals and Heavy Metals from Leachate: A Review. J. Chem. Environ. Biol. Eng. 2025, 9(2), 61-71. doi: 10.11648/j.jcebe.20250902.13
@article{10.11648/j.jcebe.20250902.13,
author = {Suresh Aluvihara and Ferial Pestano-Gupta and Bhupendra Singh Chauhan and Mohammad Hamid Omar and Syed Fakhar Alam and Askwar Hilonga and Ahsan Abdul Ghani and Jaafar Omar Baomar},
title = {Cost-Effective Materials and Technologies for the Removals of Metals and Heavy Metals from Leachate: A Review
},
journal = {Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering},
volume = {9},
number = {2},
pages = {61-71},
doi = {10.11648/j.jcebe.20250902.13},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jcebe.20250902.13},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jcebe.20250902.13},
abstract = {Landfill leachate, a highly complex and toxic wastewater, which poses significant environmental and public health risks due to its heavy metal content. The ubiquitous presence of toxic metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, and chromium in leachate poses significant environmental and health risks, necessitating efficient and economical remediation strategies. Traditional methods, while effective, can be prohibitively expensive, especially for large-scale operations or in regions with limited financial resources. Consequently, there is a growing imperative to identify and implement treatment solutions that balance efficacy with affordability. This includes exploring the potential of widely available and low-cost adsorbents like agricultural by-products (e.g., rice husks, banana peels, sawdust), industrial wastes (e.g., fly ash, blast furnace slag), and natural minerals (e.g., zeolites, clays). Furthermore, innovative technologies such as constructed wetlands, bio-sorption using specific microbial communities, and electrochemical methods utilizing inexpensive electrodes are being investigated for their economic viability and environmental sustainability. The overarching goal is to develop practical, scalable, and cost-efficient approaches to mitigate metal pollution from leachate, thereby safeguarding water resources and public health. The focus on cost-effectiveness is intrinsically linked to the principles of sustainable waste management. Leachate treatment often represents a significant operational cost for landfill operators, and the economic burden can impede the adoption of necessary environmental protection measures. Therefore, research into low-cost materials and technologies is paramount. This abstract will critically review the performance of various cost-effective adsorbents, considering their adsorption capacity, selectivity for specific metals, regeneration potential, and operational stability. It will also delve into the technological aspects of implementing these solutions, evaluating factors such as energy consumption, land footprint, and ease of operation and maintenance. The integration of these affordable materials and technologies into existing leachate management infrastructure is explored, with an emphasis on their potential to reduce overall treatment costs and enhance the long-term sustainability of landfill operations. By highlighting these economically viable options, this work aims to provide a comprehensive overview for researchers, engineers, and policymakers seeking practical solutions for effective and affordable heavy metal removal from leachate.
},
year = {2025}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Cost-Effective Materials and Technologies for the Removals of Metals and Heavy Metals from Leachate: A Review AU - Suresh Aluvihara AU - Ferial Pestano-Gupta AU - Bhupendra Singh Chauhan AU - Mohammad Hamid Omar AU - Syed Fakhar Alam AU - Askwar Hilonga AU - Ahsan Abdul Ghani AU - Jaafar Omar Baomar Y1 - 2025/10/28 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jcebe.20250902.13 DO - 10.11648/j.jcebe.20250902.13 T2 - Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering JF - Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering JO - Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering SP - 61 EP - 71 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2640-267X UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jcebe.20250902.13 AB - Landfill leachate, a highly complex and toxic wastewater, which poses significant environmental and public health risks due to its heavy metal content. The ubiquitous presence of toxic metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, and chromium in leachate poses significant environmental and health risks, necessitating efficient and economical remediation strategies. Traditional methods, while effective, can be prohibitively expensive, especially for large-scale operations or in regions with limited financial resources. Consequently, there is a growing imperative to identify and implement treatment solutions that balance efficacy with affordability. This includes exploring the potential of widely available and low-cost adsorbents like agricultural by-products (e.g., rice husks, banana peels, sawdust), industrial wastes (e.g., fly ash, blast furnace slag), and natural minerals (e.g., zeolites, clays). Furthermore, innovative technologies such as constructed wetlands, bio-sorption using specific microbial communities, and electrochemical methods utilizing inexpensive electrodes are being investigated for their economic viability and environmental sustainability. The overarching goal is to develop practical, scalable, and cost-efficient approaches to mitigate metal pollution from leachate, thereby safeguarding water resources and public health. The focus on cost-effectiveness is intrinsically linked to the principles of sustainable waste management. Leachate treatment often represents a significant operational cost for landfill operators, and the economic burden can impede the adoption of necessary environmental protection measures. Therefore, research into low-cost materials and technologies is paramount. This abstract will critically review the performance of various cost-effective adsorbents, considering their adsorption capacity, selectivity for specific metals, regeneration potential, and operational stability. It will also delve into the technological aspects of implementing these solutions, evaluating factors such as energy consumption, land footprint, and ease of operation and maintenance. The integration of these affordable materials and technologies into existing leachate management infrastructure is explored, with an emphasis on their potential to reduce overall treatment costs and enhance the long-term sustainability of landfill operations. By highlighting these economically viable options, this work aims to provide a comprehensive overview for researchers, engineers, and policymakers seeking practical solutions for effective and affordable heavy metal removal from leachate. VL - 9 IS - 2 ER -