In this study, landfill leachate was treated by using the sequencing batch reactor (SBR) process. Two types of the SBR, namely non-powdered activated carbon and powdered activated carbon (PAC-SBR) were used. The influence of aeration rate and contact time on SBR and PAC-SBR performances was investigated. Removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD), colour, ammoniacal nitrogen (NH(3)-N), total dissolved salts (TDS), and sludge volume index (SVI) were monitored throughout the experiments. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied for experimental design, analysis and optimization. Based on the results, the PAC-SBR displayed superior performance in term of removal efficiencies when compared to SBR. At the optimum conditions of aeration rate of 1 L/min and contact time of 5.5 h the PAC-SBR achieved 64.1%, 71.2%, 81.4%, and 1.33% removal of COD. colour, NH(3)-N, and TDS, respectively. The SVI value of PAC-SBR was 122.2 mL/g at optimum conditions. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.