Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 16, 2025

Design and Construction of an Urban Runoff Research Facility
Published on: August 8, 2014
Study on pollution characteristics of urban pavement runoff
Guoping Qian1, Jingyu Zhang2, Xi Li2
1School of Traffic and Transportation Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114, China E-mail: lixi@csust.edu.cn; National Engineering Laboratory for Highway Maintenance Technology, Changsha University of Science & Technology, Changsha 410114, China.
Abstract:
Urban pavement runoff has become an important pollution source endangering the quality of urban water. This paper analyzed the characteristics of particle size distribution of road-deposited sediment (RDS). The variation of pollutants with RDS content is presented. Based on continuous sampling of runoff, the variation between pollutant concentration and rainfall characteristics is revealed. The results show that each particle group shares similar content except for the group smaller than 0.075 mm. However, the smaller particles have a stronger ability to adsorb heavy metals (Zn, Pb, Cu), and a weaker ability to adsorb chemical oxygen demand (COD). The concentrations of different pollutants have different relationships with rainfall and runoff time. The concentration of suspended solids (SS) decreases steadily with runoff time, while the concentration of heavy metals increases first and then decreases. The first 30 minutes of runoff is the best time to treat heavy metals and SS. The five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) concentration are mainly affected by rainfall intensity. The result presented in this paper may provide a useful reference for the treatment of pavement runoff pollution.
Related Concept Videos
Masonry Paving
Bioremediation
Acid Attack on Concrete
The rate at which hydrogen...
Environmental Applications of Microorganisms
Conservation of Mass in Moving, Nondeforming Control Volume
In the context of a detention basin, the conservation of mass states that the total mass of water entering the basin must equal the mass leaving the basin plus any accumulation of...
Design Example: Joints in Concrete Pavements
Contraction joints are typically formed by sawing a groove into the concrete shortly after it has hardened. This creates a weakened vertical plane, deliberately encouraging cracking at...

