Landfill Leachate
Landfill leachate can contain a complex mixture of hazardous pollutants that pose serious risks to both the environment and public health.
To support compliance with environmental regulations—including the EU Landfill Directive, the Water Framework Directive and the Industrial Emissions Directive—Puragen has developed high-performance activated carbons and mobile treatment systems. Puragen’s solutions effectively remove harmful contaminants from leachate, helping prevent groundwater contamination and ensuring adherence to environmental regulations.
Leachate composition varies significantly between sites depending on waste age, waste type, and local geology, and carbon selection needs to reflect that variability rather than assume a standard contaminant profile. Puragen’s technical team can assess your leachate chemistry and recommend the appropriate GAC grade, vessel sizing, and exchange schedule to achieve consistent discharge compliance. All solutions can be delivered as part of a managed service covering carbon supply, exchange, and spent carbon handling.
Contaminants we remove
Puragen’s landfill leachate applications effectively remove a wide range of hazardous contaminants, ensuring safe discharge and water quality protection.
Activated carbon products for Landfill Leachate
Puragen has developed high-performance filtration media and mobile purification systems that remove persistent landfill pollutants reliably, efficiently and sustainably. Puragen provides a comprehensive range of activated carbon solutions for landfill leachate, ensuring efficient contaminant removal and long-term cost savings.
Granular Activated Carbon (GAC)
GAC is the primary treatment technology for landfill leachate, providing continuous, high-capacity adsorption of PFAS, VOCs, AOX, pesticides, and other persistent organic contaminants present in complex leachate streams. Puragen’s GAC grades are selected for their adsorption performance across the broad and variable contaminant profiles typical of landfill leachate, and can be configured in fixed or mobile vessel systems depending on site requirements and leachate volumes. Spent GAC from leachate applications is handled through Puragen’s integrated logistics network, with reactivation or responsible disposal arranged in line with the contaminant classification of the spent carbon.
Mobile filters for Landfill Leachate
Puragen’s range of mobile filters are optimised for a variety of liquid phase applications. We can adapt our filters to integrate with any specific site installation requirements.
Mobile filtration is particularly well suited to landfill leachate applications where treatment volumes fluctuate seasonally, where a permanent installation is not yet in place, or where rapid deployment is needed to meet a permit deadline or respond to a compliance issue. Puragen’s AquaSorber units are available in three sizes up to 100 m³/hr flow rate, covering a wide range of site scales and leachate volumes. All units arrive pre-commissioned and ready to connect, with carbon exchange, scheduling, and spent carbon removal managed by Puragen throughout the service period.
AquaSorber 2-SX
Maximum Flow Rate (m3/hr): 12
AquaSorber 5
Maximum Flow Rate (m3/hr): 20
AquaSorber 22-100
Maximum Flow Rate (m3/hr): 100
Relevant Industries
These industries commonly use Puragen’s Landfill Leachate applications. Take a look at our other products and services for these industries. Waste sector operators face a specific combination of environmental liability, regulatory scrutiny, and operational complexity that requires a treatment partner with proven experience in leachate management. Puragen works alongside landfill operators and environmental compliance teams to design filtration approaches that fit within existing site infrastructure and meet discharge permit conditions. Contact us to discuss your site’s leachate treatment requirements and current compliance obligations.
Capture emissions and odors from waste facilities such as waste reception halls and waste transfer stations
Our Capabilities
To deliver the best possible filtration solutions for every customer, Puragen takes a long term partnership approach, we can manage and support each and every stage of the journey, and are committed to innovation to improve everything we do.
Expertise & Analytics
Our award winning chemists, materials scientists and engineers use leading lab facilities and analytics to derive and support precise technical solutions for each customer requirement.
Carbon Engineering
We supply a comprehensive range of carbons tailored to specific applications. We also enhance the performance of our carbon for specific processes via impregnation and precise particle sizing.
Fixed Filter Services
We can manage as much of the carbon lifecycle as each customer requires, from supply, carbon exchange and reactivation to system maintenance and optimisation.
Mobile Filtration
We operate a growing mobile filter fleet to deliver scalable, plug and play filters to customers, with maximum flexibility, minimal downtime, and no on-site waste handling.
Reactivation
We operate one of the most advanced closed-loop carbon reactivation networks in Europe to deliver efficient filtration, traceability and environmental benefits.
Integrated Logistics
Our processing and logistics hubs deliver to and support each customer’s needs across our full range of products and services.
case studies
Puragen Case Studies
See how Puragen is helping customers succeed in the Water & Liquid industry.
The soil remediation case study featured here demonstrates Puragen’s capability in deploying mobile activated carbon filtration rapidly for complex environmental contamination scenarios, including PFAS-impacted sites. This experience translates directly to landfill leachate applications, where contaminant profiles, site access constraints, and regulatory requirements present similar challenges. Contact Puragen to discuss leachate treatment projects and available reference data for comparable site types.
Soil Remediation Project
Discover how Puragen is helping in a major soil remediation project in the Paris area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Landfill leachate contains a complex and variable mixture of organic contaminants including PFAS, VOCs, AOX, pesticides, and pharmaceutical residues that require effective treatment before discharge. Activated carbon adsorbs these persistent compounds reliably, making it a proven polishing step or primary treatment technology for achieving discharge compliance. Puragen’s GAC solutions are engineered for the broad contaminant profiles and variable leachate compositions typical of municipal and industrial landfill sites.
Puragen’s activated carbon solutions remove PFAS compounds and pharmaceutical residues, dissolved VOCs including the BTEX group and adsorbable organic halides (AOX), and organic pesticides and herbicides such as Atrazine, Chlorpyrifos, and DDT. These contaminants are commonly found in leachate from municipal, industrial, and mixed-waste landfill sites. The specific carbon grade selected is matched to your leachate’s contaminant profile to ensure effective removal and consistent discharge quality.
Landfill leachate treatment in the US is subject to federal and state environmental regulations governing leachate collection, treatment, and discharge to surface water or sewer systems. Discharge limits are typically established through site-specific permits and pre-treatment standards that set maximum allowable contaminant concentrations. Puragen’s solutions are designed to support compliance with discharge permit conditions, and our technical team can assist in identifying the appropriate carbon treatment approach for your site’s requirements.
Mobile filtration is well suited to landfill leachate applications where treatment volumes vary seasonally, where a permanent system is pending, or where a compliance deadline requires rapid deployment. Puragen’s AquaSorber mobile units can be on-site quickly and require minimal site preparation, making them practical for both short-term and extended treatment programs. Mobile filtration also allows operators to trial carbon treatment performance before committing to a fixed installation.
Spent GAC from landfill leachate treatment is classified based on the contaminants it has adsorbed and handled accordingly through Puragen’s integrated logistics network, with reactivation or licensed disposal arranged to match the material classification. Puragen manages the full chain of custody from carbon exchange through to final processing, removing the handling burden from site operators. Contact Puragen to discuss spent carbon handling arrangements for your specific leachate application.
