In this study, the behavior of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) from municipal solid waste (MSW) in the leachate and refuse of two simulated landfill bioreactors was compared. In one reactor, the leachate was circulated between a landfill and a methanogenic reactor, while the other reactor was operated using direct recirculation of the leachate. The results revealed that the original concentration of DBP in the refuse was approximately 18.5 mu g/g, and that this concentration decreased greatly during decomposition of the waste for both reactors. Furthermore, the major loss of DBP from the landfill occurred in an active methanogenic environment in the later period, while the environment was acidic due to a high concentration of volatile fatty acids (VFA) and contained a large volume of biologically degradable material (BDM) during the early stage. Circulating the leachate between the landfill and a methanogenic reactor resulted in an increase in the biodegradability of MSW and a high degree of waste stabilization. Furthermore, DBP degraded more rapidly in the landfill that was operated in conjunction with the methanogenic reactor when compared to the landfill in which there was direct leachate recirculation. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.