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Updated: Jun 6, 2025

Design and Construction of an Urban Runoff Research Facility
Published on: August 8, 2014
Influence of rubber particle inputs on nitrogen removal efficiency of bioretention systems
Tuanping Hu1, Wenyi Li2, Jiaqing Xiong3
1Key Lab of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, MOE, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Yan Ta Road. No. 13, Xi'an 710055, China.
Abstract:
Bioretention systems effectively capture rubber particles and other microplastics in stormwater runoff. However, it is uncertain whether long-term particle accumulation affects pollutant removal efficacy. This study investigated the impact of various concentrations of ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer (EPDM) particles (0, 50, 100, and 400 mg/L) on bioretention system nitrogen removal performance. The input of EPDM during short-duration (2 h) rainfall favored the removal of nitrogen, and the total nitrogen effluent concentration of the bioretention system with EPDM was reduced by 0.59-1.52 mg/L compared with that of the system without EPDM. In addition, the input of EPDM reduced the negative effects of drought. During long-duration (24 h) rainfall, higher concentrations of EPDM led to lower nitrate-nitrogen concentrations in the effluent. The bioretention system with EPDM required less time for nitrate-nitrogen removal to reach 50% than that without EPDM input. Microbial community analysis showed that EPDM increased the relative total abundance of denitrifying bacteria (such as Dechloromonas, Zoogloea, Ramlibacter, and Aeromonas) by 7.25-10.26%, which improved the denitrification capacity of the system.
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