Solar photo-Fenton oxidation of mature landfill leachate: empirical model and chemical inferences.

In this study, a stochastic model was applied to investigate the degradation of landfill leachate by solar photo-Fenton processes. The coefficient of determination () between experimental and predicted data ranged from 0.9958-0.9995. The optimal conditions for the initial phase (lasting 5-22 min) were high Fe level, low pH level, and intermediate HO level. For the second phase, optimal leachate degradation percentages were obtained by maintaining the pH, increasing HO and decreasing Fe to the lowest level. Determination of optimal reaction conditions (such as pH, Fe, and HO values) for both degradation phases is of paramount importance for process scale-up. The major contribution of this study was the development of a tool that considers the effects of one or more reactions on organic carbon degradation. This was achieved by assessing the significance of the effects of experimental conditions on model parameters for the fast and slow steps of leachate degradation by advanced oxidation processes.