Evaluating the effects of using Iran's natural Clinoptilolite zeolite in landfills on reducing the amount of dissolved salt in the leachate of Isfahan organic fertilizer factory

Landfill treatment of leachate industrial wastewater is one of the best methods to treatsuch wastewater. The aim of this study was to investigate the application of zeolite on thequality drainage properties for soil columns using Isfahan organic fertilizer factoryleachate for irrigation purposes. In this experimental study, a random column of soil wastreated four times and the whole process repeated three times in Khorasgan AzadUniversity in summer of 2007. In the treatments, the soil of Isfahan compost factory wasirrigated with freshwater (control) (T1), 100% leachate (T2), 5% Semnan zeolite irrigatedwith 100% leachate (T3) and 10% Zeolite irrigated with 100% leachate (T4). The Soilcolumns were irrigated 12 times at 3-day intervals. The height of water used for irrigatingeach soil columns was 20 mm. The results showed that using leachate for irrigation hasresulted in significant increase of values of EC, cations such as Na+, Ca+2, Mg+2 andanions such as Cl-, HCO3- in water drainage from the soil columns in the cases of T2, T3and T4 treatments compared with the control. The results show that application of zeolitedid not significantly affect to reduce the amount of the dissolved solids whereas it can beused to neutralize the soil pH. The efficiency of salt removal was lowered with increasingof irrigation times.