A set of experiments were carried out in order to establish and evaluate the potential of activated carbon, produced from coffee waste in adsorption process, in the depuration of landfill leachate. Different reagents were studied in the activation of carbon: HCl, HCl + H2O2, H3PO4, H3PO4 + H2O2, all with an impregnation rate of 1:1. The activated carbon that showed the best global results was activated with H3PO4, obtaining a 51.0, 32.8, 66.0, 81.0 and 97.1% elimination of chemical oxygen demand, ammonia, total chlorine, bromine and copper, respectively. This activated carbon has a total pore area of 4.85 m2/g and a median pore diameter of 65.32 micrometers. When different loads of this carbon were placed in a stirrer system in contact with landfill leachate, with the aim of evaluating the effect of the adsorption load and contact time, the concentration of ammonia decreased from the beginning of the adsorption process to the end of it, and the removal of ammonia increased with the increase in the adsorbent load. However, the trend of the amount adsorbed per unit mass decreased with increased dosage. The model Freundlich equilibrium isotherm fits experimental data adequately, giving R2 values of 0.95, 1/n of 0.5183, and a K value of 7.08*10-5 L/g, being favourable for adsorption process.

A solar still was designed for the evaporation of desalination brine. The influence of several factors, such as the basin heating, the material of the cover (glass or polycarbonate), the existence of a mirror, the activation of an air extractor, and the existence of a black painted floor in the solar still, was evaluated in terms of their contribution to brine evaporation. The experiments were conducted with a factorial design approach. The combination of the factors that produced the best results was used in a subsequent daily monitoring study for brine evaporation. The monitoring parameters were the hourly average incident radiation, the changes in the temperature, the brine mass, and the brine volume. The accumulated amounts of the solar energy were calculated, and the correlation relationship was assessed.