Interactions between design, plant growth and the treatment performance of stormwater biofilters

Bonnie J Glaister; Tim D Fletcher; Perran LM Cook; Belinda E Hatt

Journal article

Interactions between design, plant growth and the treatment performance of stormwater biofilters

Bonnie J Glaister, Tim D Fletcher, Perran LM Cook, Belinda E Hatt

ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING | ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV | Published : 2017

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2017.04.030

Abstract

Plants play a critical role in the nutrient removal performance of stormwater biofilters. However, the influence of biofilter design on plant growth and subsequent implications for treatment performance are not well understood. A 12 month, laboratory-scale biofilter column experiment was conducted to investigate the response of Carex appressa to variations in biofilter design and implications for nutrient removal performance. Plant growth in Skye sand, a natural iron-coated sand with a strong capacity to immobilize phosphorus, was evaluated against a typical loamy sand filter media in biofilters with and without a saturated zone. Plant biomass correlated strongly with nutrient removal and wa..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Tim Fletcher Author

Belinda Hatt Author

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Grants

Awarded by ARC

Funding Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge Melbourne Water (State Government of Victoria) for funding this work. Special thanks are also extended to Richard Williamson, Tony Brosinsky and Brian Glaister (Monash University Civil Engineering Hydraulics Laboratory) as well as Emily Payne and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments. Tim Fletcher was supported by an ARC Future Fellowship (FT100100144) during this study.