Remediation and accumulation characteristics of dissolved pollutants for stormwater in improved bioretention basins

Dissolved pollutants in stormwater are more mobile/bioavailable, and are captured via different mechanisms than particles. Column-scale bioretention basins are constructed by filling different media, which is used to study the remediation and accumulation characteristics of dissolved pollutants by improved bioretention basins (increased infiltration and adsorption capacity of the media). The media factor (ratio of specific surface area to cubic of porosity) is used to characterize the basic properties of different media, while considering the key factors: infiltration capacity, inflow concentration, recurrence interval, discharge ratio, antecedent dry period, and rainfall duration. The results showed that stormwater pollutants load reduction rate decreased with the increase of recurrence interval and discharge ratio, and increased with the increase of inflow concentration. Based on response surface methodology (RSM), a quantitative relationship model between major pollutants and influencing factors were established (R² > 0.715), which can be used to estimate the design and operation of the media. By detecting changes in media carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus contents, the results showed that partial pollutants leaching were greater than their accumulation in the initial stage of system operation, and their contents in the media reduced during simulated rainfall. After the pollution contents tend to stabilize, the accumulated pollutants were greater than the leaching, and media pollution contents showed the trend of upper > middle > lower (corresponding to the 10, 35, and 60 cm sections of the media from top to bottom). Six enzymes closely related to the accumulation and migration of nitrogen, phosphorus and organic matter in the media were selected. Pearson correlation analysis found that: the significant correlations between the selected enzyme activity and pollutants were not consistent in bioretention system. For example, catalase was significantly correlated with all the pollutants (P < 0.01), whereas acid phosphatase was not significantly correlated with all the pollutants.