Can geotextiles modify the transfer of heavy metals transported by stormwater in infiltration basins?

Geotextiles are fibrous materials increasingly employed for the design of infiltration basins. However, their influence on the transfer of contaminants carried by stormwater has not been fully investigated. This study, based on column leaching experiments, aims at showing the effect of geotextiles on the transfer of three heavy metals (Zn, Pb and Cd) in a reactive soil (simulating an infiltration basin at laboratory scale). This effect depends on several factors, such as type of geotextile, hydric conditions (geotextile water content), hydraulic conditions (flow-rates) and the number of geotextiles installed. In all cases, geotextiles influence heavy metal retention by modifying flow and thus regulating contact between these metals and the reactive soil.