Influence of plant species and submerged zone with carbon addition on the removal of metals by stormwater biofilters

Abstract

AbstractThe metal removal in stormwater biofilters may be influenced by the type of vegetation and the presence of a submerged zone (SZ) with carbon (C) addition under wet-dry seasonal climatic patterns. A glasshouse experiment using two plant species (Baumea juncea and Melaleuca lateritia) with/without SZ and C addition, and three planting treatments (Baumea rubiginosa, Juncus subsecundus, and no-plant as control) with SZ and C addition was conducted to investigate the metal removal from the stormwater in biofilter columns. After 20 months of growth, plant growth was better in the presence of SZ than absence. The removal of copper (Cu) and lead (Pb) significantly increased in the biofilters with SZ, but Zn removal was not significantly influenced regardless of type of vegetation. Although the metals accumulated differently in the various plant species, it was not possible to discriminate relative performance in terms of metal removal among the plant species. Dissolved oxygen (DO) and pH in the outflows w...