Stormwater Treatment Systems Research Articles

Pattern-based assessment of the influence of catchment characteristics on urban stormwater quality

ABSTRACT Use of traditional catchment characteristics and lack of effective separation of catchment characteristics from rainfall characteristics limits the adequate understanding of the actual influences of catchment characteristics on stormwater quality. In this context, this study adopted a pattern-based separation approach to identifying common events from three rainfall clusters of study catchments, where rainfall characteristics for identified common 8, 9 and 36 events are similar, but catchment characteristics are different. This study identified that the locations of pervious surfaces and urban forms are also important catchment characteristics. The contribution of the pervious area to runoff is significant for long durational (cluster 1) and high-intensity (cluster 3) rainfall events associated with low antecedent dry days and initiated at around 35 mm rainfall depth. A catchment having a large impervious area and pervious area located at far distances from the drainage system can contribute more pollutant load at first 10% runoff volume. High socio-economic developed urban form can contribute a high fraction wash-off corresponding to 10–70% runoff volume due to traffic-related behaviour and various anthropogenic activities. The developed knowledge will overcome the shortcomings of lumped characteristics-based treatment design and improve the efficiency of current stormwater treatment system design practices.

Exploring granular filter media in sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) for stormwater pollutant adsorption: A pilot study

Granular filter media are integral to sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) for their efficiency in removing pollutants from urban runoff. This study focuses on understanding the filtration processes within these media by combining a pilot experimental study with a modeling approach. The experimental study involved characterizing the physical and hydraulic properties of various granular filter media materials, including sand, pea-gravel, gravel, and geotextile membranes. Three laboratory-scale stormwater filtration rigs were tested to evaluate the filter media's pollutant removal capacity and hydraulic performance. This work presents a phenomenological model that predicts the spatial variation in the concentrations of stormwater and urban runoff substances, specifically nitrate ions (NO3-), phosphate ions (PO43-), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and suspended solids, by studying their concentration profiles. The stormwater quality model was used to predict the concentration profiles for stormwater with an average inflow consisting of 2.9 mg/L nitrates, 3.4 mg/L phosphate ions, 225 mg/L COD, and 3.3 mg/L of suspended solids. The predicted outlet concentrations matched well with measured experimental data. The results showed that adding geotextile membranes to a granular filter significantly improves its ability to adsorb dissolved species for stormwater applications. This research highlights the importance of understanding the physical and hydraulic properties of granular filter media and their impact on stormwater pollutant removal efficiency. The developed model can assist in the design and optimization of stormwater treatment systems by predicting the performance of different filter media materials, allowing for informed decision-making and improved system functionality.

Intra-event variations of organic micropollutants in highway runoff and a presedimentation-biofilter treatment facility

The study assessed the quality of highway runoff and a stormwater treatment system, focusing on intra-event variations (IEVs: variations within a runoff/effluent event) of the concentration of organic micropollutants (OMPs) including bisphenol-A, alkylphenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs). IEVs of OMPs varied considerably with no particular recurring pattern in highway runoff and presedimentation effluent, displaying sporadic strong first flushes. IEVs are significantly associated with rainfall intensity variations, especially for particle-bound substances such as PAHs and PHCs. However, phenolic substances showed distinct IEV patterns compared to total suspended solids, PAHs, and PHCs, likely due to their higher solubility and mobility. Downstream sand filter (SF) and vegetated biofilter (BFC) mitigated IEVs, leading to more uniform discharge during outflow events. Although BFC’s IEVs were indiscernible due to low effluent concentrations, SF’s IEVs often peaked at the beginning of events (within the first 100 of ⁓600 m3), exceeding the lowest predicted non-effect concentrations for five PAHs, bisphenol-A, and octylphenol. This study highlights the advantage of IEV analysis over conventional event mean concentration analysis for identifying critical effluent stages, crucial for developing control strategies to protect sensitive water recipients or for reuse applications.

Understanding the role of biofilms and estimation of life-span of a tire derived aggregates-based underground stormwater treatment system

The importance of biofilm in tire derived aggregates (TDA) based underground systems has been investigated in this paper, to assess the utilization of tire waste as a cost-effective and sustainable resource for stormwater treatment. The primary objective of this study is to look into the role of biofilms in preventing metal leaching from a TDA based stormwater treatment system and to estimate the life span of a TDA based stormwater treatment system. TDA subjected to different influents to promote or limit the growth of biofilms were analyzed for their leaching and adsorption potential for fifteen different metals through 72 flushes, which is representative of roughly 9 years of TDA exposure to storm events in the upper Midwest USA. Biofilm growth on a manufacturing byproduct (wire exposed-TDA) was higher than on the traditional TDA. The presence of biofilm on TDA had a minor impact on orthophosphate adsorption as observed in a previous study conducted by the authors. However, metals such as iron, zinc and copper, which were previously a concern, had substantially lower leaching into the stored runoff. In addition, the orthophosphate removal from runoff by TDA with a biofilm through 72 flushes indicates that TDA based underground systems can have orthophosphate removal life span beyond 8–9 years. Thus, TDA with biofilms in an underground storage/infiltration chamber has the potential to establish itself as a sustainable, cost-effective, and long life-span alternative for stormwater remediation of orthophosphate pollution without leaching of metals.

Integrated Design and Control of a Sustainable Stormwater Treatment System

In this work, issues of water separation and purification are addressed, where, in order to achieve the desired results, it is necessary to use several disciplines such as classical physics, biotechnology, automatic control, automation, and applications of industry 4.0. Further, the need for comprehensive and automated solutions for rainwater treatment in the agricultural sector is addressed. This research focuses on designing and implementing a system adapted to these needs using Siemens technologies. The methodology ranges from the design of the Piping and Instrumentation Diagram (P&ID) to the implementation of the interface, incorporating Siemens technologies for data acquisition, electrical connections, treatment programming, and PID controller design. The results show significant advances in the development of the system, highlighting the effectiveness of automation and the HMI-PLC human–machine interface in process monitoring and control. These findings support the viability of a comprehensive rainwater treatment system for the agricultural sector, with important implications for water efficiency, environmental preservation, and increased productivity in agricultural and livestock activities. The contribution of this work is the relationship between engineering and research focused on industrial processes. The scientific contribution is to obtain the dynamic models and apply two strategies to obtain the gains of the PID controller. The first method is performed through the proposal of a Hurwitz polynomial, and the second is performed through genetic algorithms (GA), where they are implemented in a controller that is commonly used in the industry. The technological part includes the integration of work (schemes, programming, and communications) so that the result is as close to what was expected.

Resilience of stormwater biofilters following the deposition of wildfire residues: Implication on downstream water quality management in wildfire-prone regions

Stormwater treatment systems such as biofilters could intercept and remove pollutants from contaminated runoff in wildfire-affected areas, ensuring the protection of water quality downstream. However, the deposition of wildfire residues such as ash and black carbon onto biofilters could potentially impair their stormwater treatment functions. Yet, whether and how wildfire residue deposition could affect biofilter functions is unknown. This study examines the impact of wildfire residue deposition on biofilter infiltration and pollutant removal capacities. Exposure to wildfire residues decreased the infiltration capacity based on the amount of wildfire deposited. Wildfire residues accumulated at the top layer of the biofilter, forming a cake layer, but scraping this layer restored the infiltration capacity. While the deposition of wildfire residues slightly changed the pore water geochemistry, it did not significantly alter the removal of metals and E. coli. Although wildfire residues leached some metals into pore water within the simulated root zone, the leached metals were effectively removed by the compost present in the filter media. Collectively, these results indicate that biofilters downstream of wildfire-prone areas could remain resilient or functional and protect downstream water quality if deposited ash is periodically scraped to restore any loss of infiltration capacity following wildfire residue deposition.

Modeling the effect of the submerged zone on nitrogen removal efficiency of a bioretention system under dry-wet alterations

Bioretention systems are effective stormwater treatment systems. Many studies have been conducted on the nitrogen regulation effects of bioretention systems. However, few studies had investigated the variation of nitrogen concentration in the submerged zone during dry periods and evaluated the effect of the submerged zone on nitrogen removal efficiency under dry-wet alterations. Furthermore, existing models cannot fully consider the impact of the submerged zone on nitrogen removal. This paper presents the validation, prediction uncertainty, parameter sensitivity analysis, and scenario simulations with different submerged zone depths of a proposed model. We conducted 13 consecutive rainfall events for model validation under dry-wet alternations in a mesocosm bioretention system with a submerged zone. The collected data mainly includes outflow rates, outflow nitrogen concentrations (NH4-N, NO3-N, and TN) in wet periods, and submerged zone nitrogen concentrations (NH4-N, NO3-N, and TN) in dry periods. The results show that (1) the Nash efficiency coefficients in the wet and dry periods were all above 0.5 during calibration and validation phases; (2) the prediction uncertainty of outflow/submerged zone nitrogen concentration (NH4-N, NO3-N, and TN) can be significantly reduced by using NSE values of the wet and dry periods as likelihood objective functions than only using NSE values of the wet periods; (3) the sensitivity analysis shows that outflow nitrogen concentrations (NH4-N, NO3-N, or TN) are sensitive to most of nitrogen module parameters in the submerged zone; (4) in the long-term dry-wet alterations simulation, the increase of submerged zone depth can improve the annual average nitrogen removal rate, while it does not always improve nitrogen removal rates in single rainfall event. If a rainfall event with a short antecedent dry period (<1.5 d) and the inflow nitrogen concentration in the current event is less than that in the previous event, the increase of the submerged zone depth will even reduce the nitrogen removal rate.

Integrating Non-Targeted Ecosystem Services into Assessment of Natural Stormwater Treatment Systems

Natural stormwater treatment systems (NTS) are built ecosystems designed to capture and treat stormwater runoff via natural processes. Although NTS design typically targets water services, the biological communities associated with NTS (i.e., plants, animals, and microbes) can provide non-targeted functions that can result in ecosystem services, such as biodiversity, pollination, and climate regulation, or in some cases disservices. Additional co-benefits of NTS include recreation, education and outreach opportunities, and aesthetic value. A review of NTS ecosystem services and co-benefits is provided with specific examples from Los Angeles County, highlighting the need for ecosystem services indicators, standard measurements, and monitoring. As NTS become globally widespread, best practices must include the ability to holistically assess NTS performance in ways that extend beyond water treatment services. Three models are presented that can be used to evaluate NTS performance. Such information can be important in advancing NTS design, choosing spatial placement, and making choices between NTS and more traditional stormwater treatment options.

Salinity and temperature influence removal levels of heavy metals and chloride from water by wetland plants

Stormwater with low temperatures and elevated salinity, common in areas where deicing salt is used, might affect the removal of heavy metals by plants in stormwater treatment systems such as floating treatment wetlands. This short-term study evaluated the effects of combinations of temperature (5, 15, and 25 °C) and salinity (0, 100, and 1000 mg NaCl L−1) on the removal of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn (1.2, 68.5, 78.4, and 559 μg L−1) and Cl− (0, 60, and 600 mg Cl− L−1) by Carex pseudocyperus, C. riparia, and Phalaris arundinacea. These species had previously been identified as suitable candidates for floating treatment wetland applications. The study found high removal capacity in all treatment combinations, especially for Pb and Cu. However, low temperatures decreased the removal of all heavy metals, and increased salinity decreased the removal of Cd and Pb but had no effect on the removal of Zn or Cu. No interactions were found between the effects of salinity and of temperature. Carex pseudocyperus best removed Cu and Pb, whereas P. arundinacea best removed Cd, Zu, and Cl−. The removal efficacy for metals was generally high, with elevated salinity and low temperatures having small impacts. The findings indicate that efficient heavy metal removal can also be expected in cold saline waters if the right plant species are used.

Leachability and phosphate removal potential of tire derived aggregates in underground stormwater chambers

Applications of tire derived aggregate (TDA) in underground runoff storage and infiltration basins have been proposed because TDA provides high porosity at a relatively low cost compared to gravel and a functional use of a waste product. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the impact of temporary storage of runoff in TDA on the leaching of fifteen metals and sorption of phosphate present in synthetic stormwater. Furthermore, the study analyzed the impact of chloride concentration on leaching and sorption potential of TDA based stormwater treatment systems. The analysis of stormwater effluents from different reactors reveals that in the reactors with TDA, the phosphate concentration was substantially reduced over time, while there was no significant change in the phosphate concentration in the reactors without TDA. The TDA, however, leached zinc, copper and iron into the synthetic stormwater. Even though the rate of leaching decreased with more flushes, the concentrations of iron and zinc after 72 h were still generally above the fresh water chronic criteria for aquatic biota. Thus, it may be necessary to place metal-adsorbing material in with the TDA to adsorb the leached metals. This combination of treatments could provide a stormwater storage system that adsorbs dissolved phosphate and captures particulate phosphorous via settling, without releasing toxic metals.

Optimal discharge protocol for urban stormwater settling tank across different scenarios under limited data aided with Monte-Carlo simulation incorporated mathematical model

Nonpoint source contamination from early stormwater runoff in the urban area has been frequently reported, and a comprehensive urban stormwater treatment system in high population density location is essential. However, there is an absence of a comprehensive discharge protocol for the settling tank that leads to inefficient treatment process with a non-adaptive practice that fixing certain discharge period. A case study in a large-scale urban settling tank located at Y-city, South Korea is considered to validate the discharge protocol proposed. The stormwater is first analyzed with its respective characteristics from various interception facilities, which act as buffers before entering settling tank. Thereupon, homogenous stormwater entered from multiple interception facilities is collected accordingly from the settling tank to assess the settling performance by measuring the suspended solid (SS) concentration in different timeframes. A mathematical model targeting the settling tank is then developed and further calibrated at different settling tank layers across different settling periods with multi-objective genetic algorithms based on the settling parameters considered. An uncertainty analysis is then conducted due to the relatively small dataset collected by incorporating 10,000 attempts of Monte-Carlo simulation, varying the SS concentration at different layers in the settling tank. As a result, discharge time for the top and middle layer by obeying the discharge limit falls at the 18th and 58th hour from the initial stormwater entry to the settling tank. This study successfully demonstrated the approach on identifying optimal discharge protocol for urban settling tank based on the initial SS concentration under limited data.

Stormwater applications of zeolite-coated biofilm carriers for ammonium removal with possible applications to PFAS biotransformation

Microporous, zeolite-coated biofilm carriers deployed in stormwater systems for retention of targeted microorganisms and removal of nitrogen and PFAS.

Biochar benefits carbon off-setting in blue-green infrastructure soils - A lysimeter study

Carbon sequestration with amendments in blue-green infrastructure soils could off-set anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions to alleviate climate change. In this 3-year study, the effects of wheat straw and its biochar on carbon sequestration in an urban landscaping soil were investigated under realistic outdoor conditions using two large-scale lysimeters. Both amendments were carried out by incorporating pellets at 0–15 cm soil depth with an equivalent initial total carbon input of 2% of the dry soil weight. Soil carbon, carbon isotope ratios, dissolved carbon in leachates, CO2–C emissions, carbon fixed in above ground vegetation, soil water content, soil bulk electrical conductivity, and water infiltration rates, were then compared between the 2 lysimeters. After 3 years, we observed that, despite having a 17.2% lower vegetation growth, soil organic and inorganic carbon content was higher by 28.8% and 41.5%, respectively, in biochar as compared to wheat straw amended soil. Carbon isotope analysis confirmed the greater stability of the added carbon in the biochar amended soil. Water content was on average 23.2% and 13.0% in the straw pellet and biochar amended soil, respectively, whereas water infiltration rates were not significantly different between the two lysimeters. Overall, the incorporation of wheat straw biochar into soil could store an estimated 30 tonnes of carbon per hectare in city blue-green infrastructure spaces. Interviews involving institution stakeholders examined the feasibility of this biochar application. Stakeholders recognized the potential of biochar as an environment-friendly means for carbon offsetting, but were concerned about the practicality of biochar production and application into soil and increased maintenance work. Consequently, additional potential benefits of biochar for environmental management such as improving the quality of polluted run-off in stormwater treatment systems should be emphasized to make biochar an attractive proposition in sustainable urban development.

Microplastics profile in constructed wetlands: Distribution, retention and implications

Wastewater and stormwater are both considered as critical pathways contributing microplastics (MPs) to the aquatic environment. However, there is little information in the literature about the potential influence of constructed wetlands (CWs), a commonly used wastewater and stormwater treatment system. This study was conducted to investigate the abundance and distribution of MPs in water and sediment at five CWs with different influent sources, namely stormwater and wastewater. The MP abundance in the water samples ranged between 0.4 ± 0.3 and 3.8 ± 2.3 MP/L at the inlet and from 0.1 ± 0.0 to 1.3 ± 1.0 MP/L at the outlet. In the sediment, abundance of MPs was generally higher at the inlet, ranging from 736 ± 335 to 3480 ± 4330 MP/kg dry sediment and decreased to between 19.0 ± 16.4 and 1060 ± 326 MP/kg dry sediment at the outlet. Although no significant differences were observed in sediment cores at different depth across the five CWs, more MPs were recorded in silt compared to sandy sediment which indicated sediment grain size could be an environmental factor contributing to the distribution of MPs. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibres were the dominant polymer type found in the water samples while polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) fragments were predominantly recorded in the sediment. While the size of MPs in water varied across the studied CWs, between 51% and 64% of MPs in the sediment were smaller than 300 μm, which raises concerns about the bioavailability of MPs to a wider range of wetland biota and their potential ecotoxicological effects. This study shows that CWs can not only retain MPs in the treated water, but also become sinks accumulating MPs over time.

Microplastic removal from urban stormwater: Current treatments and research gaps

Stormwater is a major contributor to microplastic (MP) pollution in the aquatic environment. Although MPs are associated with many toxicological effects, their levels in stormwater are not regulated. This review compared the effectiveness of different MP removal technologies from stormwater runoff and examined the performance of typical stormwater treatment systems for MP removal to assess possible MP pollution control via stormwater management. Bioretention and filtration systems performed similarly with 84-96% MP removal efficiencies. Despite the limited number of studies that focused on wetlands and retention ponds, preliminary data suggested potential for MP removal with efficiencies of 28-55% and 85-99%, respectively. Despite the higher efficiency of bioretention and filtration systems, their removal efficiency of fibrous MPs was not optimal. Furthermore, wetlands were less effective in removing MPs than retention ponds, although the limited data might lead to an inaccurate representation of typical performances. Therefore, more research is required to arrive at definitive conclusions and to investigate alternative treatment options, such as ballasted sand flocculation, flotation, and biological degradation, and evaluate the effectiveness of bioretention and filtration for MPs <100μm.

Multi-Level Control and Utilization of Stormwater Runoff

This study proposes the technology of “runoff storage and seepage utilization” for achieving purification of road rainfall–runoff and presents a multi-level series purification system (PBT-GR) comprising porous asphalt pavement (PAP), a bioretention system (BS), a storage tank (T) and a hydroponic green roof (GR). The operation parameters of each component unit were optimized and the contribution of each unit to pollution was analyzed. The results showed that under typical simulated rainfall, the suspended solids (SS), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), Pb, Zn and Cu removal rates by filtration and interception of porous pavement were 62.26 ± 3.19%, 16.29 ± 1.74%, 29.27 ± 1.37%, 37.61 ± 2.58%, 35.57 ± 4.64% and 31.17 ± 3.27%, respectively. The average concentrations of SS, TN, TP, Pb, Zn and Cu in the effluent of the PBT-GR system were 14.70 ± 2.21 mg/L, 1.52 ± 0.24 mg/L, 0.14 ± 0.04 mg/L, 0.09 ± 0.04 mg/L, 0.11 ± 0.03 mg/L and 0.04 ± 0.01mg/L, respectively, which met the water quality standards recommended in the Chinese guidelines and showed a high adaptability to pollution load. The contents of pesticide residues and heavy metals in cultivated vegetables met the national standards. The period required to recoup the investment in the system was approximately 3 years, indicating its good economic feasibility. The present study can provide a valuable reference of the construction of an efficient, low consumption and sustainable urban stormwater treatment system and can contribute to the improvement in the quality of the urban water environment.

Understanding nutrient dynamics for effective stormwater treatment design

Current stormwater quality modelling tools lack robust mathematical replication of nutrient entrainment in runoff. This makes it challenging to design effective stormwater treatment systems such as nature based solutions with adequate resilience to future changes in nutrient inputs in urban environments. Consequently, poorly treated stormwater can be discharged into receiving waters, leading to nutrient enrichment and in turn, environmental and human health impacts. This study integrated empirically based with statistical modelling techniques to incorporate nutrient dynamics into commonly used Intensity-Frequency-Duration (IFD) distributions of design rainfall. Field based nutrient wash-off experiments were conducted to understand nutrient behaviour during a runoff event. New mathematical formulations were derived to describe the decay (wash-off) of nutrients. Rainfall intensity, duration and initially accumulated pollutant load exert positive influence on the decay of nitrogen and phosphorous, while organic carbon has a negative impact on phosphorus decay. It was also evident that nitrogen species would decay at a similar rate, while phosphorus species may decay at different rates. Compared to nitrogen species, phosphorous species were found more likely to be washed-off during a rainfall event. Using the mathematical formulations developed, wash-off of nitrogen and phosphorous was simulated for 435 very frequent and frequent/infrequent design rainfall events leading to the creation of Intensity-Frequency-Duration-Wash-off (IFDW) curves. Analysis of uncertainty associated with IFDW indicated that total phosphorous could be completely washed-off during most of the design rainfall events, while total nitrogen would only be completely washed-off by very few events that are rarer than 10 % AEP (annual exceedance probability). IFDW can act as a tool for supporting effective stormwater treatment design in order to promote sustainable stormwater management and reuse.

Transport of microplastics in stormwater treatment systems under freeze-thaw cycles: Critical role of plastic density

Stormwater treatment systems remove and accumulate microplastics from surface runoff, but some of them can be moved downward to groundwater by natural freeze-thaw cycles. Yet, it is unclear whether or how microplastic properties such as density could affect the extent to which freeze-thaw cycles would move microplastics in the subsurface. To examine the transport and redistribution of microplastics in the subsurface by freeze-thaw cycles, three types of microplastics, with density smaller than (polypropylene or PP), similar to (polystyrene or PS), or greater than (polyethylene terephthalate or PET) water, were first deposited on the top of packed sand—the most common filter media used in infiltration-based stormwater treatment systems. Then the columns were subjected to either 23 h of drying at 22 ⁰C (control) or freeze-thaw treatment (freezing at -20 ⁰C for 6 h and thawing at 22 ⁰C for 17 h) followed by a wetting event. The cycle was repeated 36 times, and the effluents were analyzed for microplastics. Microplastics were observed in effluents from the columns that were contaminated with PET and subjected to freeze-thaw cycles. Comparison of the distribution of microplastics in sand columns at the end of 36 cycles confirmed that freeze-thaw cycles could disproportionally accelerate the downward mobility of denser microplastics. Using a force balance model, we show that smaller microplastics (<50 µm) can be pushed at higher velocity by the ice-water interface, irrespective of the density of microplastics. However, plastic density becomes critical when the size of microplastics is larger than 50 µm. The coupled experimental studies and theoretical framework improved the understanding of why denser microplastics such as PET and PVC may move deeper into the subsurface in the stormwater treatment systems and consequently elevate groundwater pollution risk.

Ranking Three Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) Practices Based on Hydraulic and Water Quality Treatment Performance: Implications for Effective Stormwater Treatment Design

Bioretention basins, constructed wetlands and roadside swales are among the most common Water-Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) or stormwater quality treatment systems. Although these systems can reduce stormwater quantity and improve quality, their hydraulic and water quality treatment performances are different. The aim of this study was to investigate the hydraulic and water quality performance of a bioretention basin, a constructed wetland and a roadside swale by analyzing monitored water quantity and quality data from a range of rainfall events using a ranking approach. The study outcomes showed that a bioretention basin performed better in relation to peak flow and runoff volume reduction while the constructed wetland tended to produce better outflow water quality. The roadside swale had a relatively lower capacity for treating stormwater. These results suggest that a bioretention basin could be the preferred option when the primary requirement is water quantity improvement. However, if water quality improvement is the primary consideration, a constructed wetland could be more efficient. Additionally, when designing a treatment train, it appears to be preferable to place a bioretention basin prior to a constructed wetland. Further, a swale appears to be more appropriate for use as a pretreatment device. The research study outcomes will contribute to effective stormwater treatment design.

Design of Oil Water Separator for the Removal of Hydrocarbon from Stormwater Contaminated with Jet-Fuel

The airport, in general, has a huge catchment area and a hardstand area that includes runways, taxiways, as well as parking aprons. Therefore, these areas are expected to produce a huge volume of stormwater. Besides this problem, the jet fuel and suspended solids contaminate the stormwater flow rate; hence, much consideration should be given in designing the treatment system to ensure that there is no back-flow expected during the high stormwater production to avoid any flooding occurrences in the airports. Currently, the stormwater treatment system in the Malaysian airport is minimal, and there is no specific treatment for the stormwater contaminated with jet fuel in Malaysia. In this paper, an oil-water separator named Corrugated Plate Interceptor (CPI) was explored to treat stormwater contaminated with jet fuel in the airport. Treating the airport stormwater contaminated with oil, grease, or jet fuel could significantly reduce the contamination issue and develop an environmentally friendly airport in Malaysia. The CPI has combs of plates arranged in packs, and this creates the surface areas for the removal reaction of jet fuel and suspended solids between the incoming contaminated stormwater and the plates. Accordingly, in this paper, the design and development of CPI were discussed, particularly on the design criteria for the oil-water separator, standardized tank dimensions, oil storage capacity in the tank, sludge storage capacity in the tank, and finalized plate packs.