Volumetric Filtration of Rainfall Runoff. II: Event-Based and Interevent Nutrient Fate

Abstract

This study examines in situ phosphorus treatment using a combined unit operation and process, a volumetric clarifying filter (VCF). Urban rainfall-runoff transports phosphorus in dissolved and particulate phases with the latter phase distributed across the particulate matter (PM) gradation. From a clean initial condition, the VCF was monitored across 19 events without maintenance, to examine partitioning and phosphorus distribution on PM. For the monitoring period, site influent total phosphorus (TP) is 0.342 mg/L of which 0.081 mg/L is dissolved; and subsequently reduced to 0.095 and 0.031 mg/L, respectively, by the VCF. PM-bound phosphorus is categorized as suspended, settleable and sediment fractions based on PM size and separation behavior. Site influent PM-based concentrations (mg/g) are 0.22 for sediment, 0.42 for settleable and 3.27 for the suspended fraction with each fraction further enriched in the VCF, based on effluent monitoring. A categorical analysis and odds ratio testing of PM-based phosphorus specific capacities (mg/g) indicate that a significant fraction of phosphorus can bind to suspended PM preferentially over settleable and sediment PM as a PM-based concentration. At the end of the event-based monitoring the inter-event change in phosphorus and nitrogen, chemistry is examined as a function of runoff storage time. Runoff retention generates nitrate reduction and ammonia (NH3+NH4+) production; predominately as ammonium. Phosphorus partitioning is stable during runoff storage with a dissolved fraction between one fourth to one-third of TP. Predominant species are H2PO4− for a pH<7 and HPO42− for a pH>7.