Soil-Plant Phytoremediation System Performance Monitoring

For 15 years, SYLVIS worked with Ecowaste Industries to design and implement innovative solutions for landfill leachate treatment at the Ecowaste Landfill. Leachate is produced when rainwater infiltrates the landfill and takes up organic and inorganic constituents from the waste stored within. A soil-plant phytoremediation system designed by SYLVIS was constructed on site, consisting of a layer of fabricated topsoil and planted vegetation developed to effectively filter and reduce the levels of contaminants found within the leachate. Leachate from Ecowaste Landfill’s collection ponds was irrigated onto vegetated treatment lots, allowing leachate to flow through the soil-plant phytoremediation system and be discharged to off-site surface waters rather than to sewage.

A comprehensive monitoring program was developed by SYLVIS in order to assess the soil-plant phytoremediation system’s performance, determine impacts of leachate on soil and vegetation quality, and ensure parameters within the discharged leachate achieved regulatory compliance. The monitoring program included weekly measurements of ammonia nitrogen concentrations before and after treatment and tracking of leachate volumes applied to the system. The program also involved quarterly sampling of leachate at different stages within the soil-plant phytoremediation system for more detailed water quality analysis. Annual soil and vegetation sampling was conducted to monitor ongoing system health and to determine the vegetation’s capacity to uptake excess nitrogen from the leachate.

The results of the monitoring program were presented to Ecowaste in annual reports summarizing the work carried out at the site and providing recommendations for further optimization of the soil-plant phytoremediation system based on the analyzed data. Data from SYLVIS’s monitoring confirmed that nutrient concentrations within the leachate were effectively reduced through the soil-plant phytoremediation system.