LEACHATE GENERATION AND

TREATMENT AT THE BUKIT TAGAR

LANDFILL, MALAYSIA
A P KORTEGAST*, S F ELDRIDGE*, B A RICHARDS*, S YONG**, E
T CHOCK, A BRYCE*, H ROBINSON AND M CARVILLE
* Tonkin & Taylor Ltd, New Zealand
** TT Konsult, Malaysia
Berjaya KUB, Sdn Bhd, Malaysia
Enviros Consulting, United Kingdom
SUMMARY: Development of the 130Mm3 mega-landfill at Bukit Tagar near Kuala
Lumpur Malaysia, represents a major step forward in waste management technology for
Malaysias largest city and the surrounding Klang Valley region. A review of leachate
generation after the first year of operation highlighted the limitations of commonly
adopted predictive methods (that are mainly derived from landfill performance in
temperate to dry climates), when assessing leachate generation at landfills in tropical
climates. The importance of landfill operational controls, the influence of tropical rainfall
patterns, the significance of the water content of the waste as received are highlighted,
and the influence of these variables on total and peak leachate generation are discussed.
The volume and chemistry of the leachate imposed considerable demands on the design
of a suitable leachate treatment plant. The on-site leachate storage that was required in
order to cater for leachate generation prior to treatment plant commissioning, of itself
resulted in significant pre-treatment of the leachate and promoted methanogenesis. The
key elements of the leachate treatment plant design are outlined, and initial performance
data are presented. These show the leachate treatment process to be very effective with a
high quality final effluent being produced; suitable for spray irrigation to plantation land
on site.