The migration and accumulation of typical pollutants in the growing media layer of bioretention facilities

Abstract

A series of complex physical and chemical processes, such as interception, migration, accumulation, and transformation, can occur when pollutants in stormwater runoff enter the growing media layer of bioretention facilities, affecting the purification of stormwater runoff by bioretention facilities. The migration and accumulation of pollutants in the growing media layer need long-term monitoring in traditional experimental studies. In this study, we established the Hydrus-1D model of water and solution transport for the bioretention facilities. By analyzing the variation of cumulative fluxes of NO₃^--N and Pb with time and depth, we investigated pollutant migration and accumulation trends in the growing media layer of bioretention facilities. It can provide support for reducing runoff pollutants in bioretention facilities. The Hydrus-1D model was calibrated and verified with experimental data, and the input data (runoff pollutant concentration) for the pollutant concentration boundary was obtained from the SWMM model. The results demonstrated that the cumulative fluxes of NO₃^--N and Pb increased with the passage of simulation time and depth of the growing media layer overall. From the top to the bottom of the growing media layer, the change rates of the peak cumulative fluxes of NO₃^--N and Pb were strongly linked with their levels in the runoff. An increase in rainfall decreased the content of NO₃^--N and Pb in the growing media layer, and this phenomenon was more obvious in the lower part of the layer.

Keywords: Bioretention facilities; Cumulative fluxes; Hydrus-1D; Runoff pollutants; SWMM.