UF builds sustainable solution for leachate dilemma

In Featured, In the Headlines, News, Research & InnovationBy Dave SchlenkerStory originally published on UF News

The UF-designed Constructed Wetlands Leachate Treatment System includes three vertical wetland cells at the Polk County landfill. (Photo by Dave Schlenker)

Polk County had a $2.5 million problem at its landfill.  

At issue was the cost and treatment of leachate (LEE-chayt) – the liquid that filters to the bottom of the landfill at tens of thousands of gallons per day. Polk County officials have been hauling it to a treatment facility offsite for $2.5 million a year because they were not able to treat it onsite. 

It is a common practice for solid waste departments. As landfills grow, the volume of leachate increases; many Florida counties are seeking cost effective and sustainable ways to treat their leachate.  

In Polk County, University of Florida researchers have solved the problem.  

A team from UF’s Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment with the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering designed a complex and sustainable wetlands-filtration system that could serve as a model for other counties.

Read full story at UF News

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