Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID NJ_2023_NAGARA-BOUFADEL

Bioretention system optimization for effective stormwater quality management

Institute: New Jersey
Year Established: 2023 Start Date: 2023-09-01 End Date: 2024-08-31
Total Federal Funds: $20,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $20,012

Principal Investigators: Viravid Na Nagara, Michel Boufadel

Project Summary: Microplastics (MPs) are a class of emerging contaminants that pose great adverse impacts on aquatic environments. MPs are themselves inert but can accumulate several persistent organic and inorganic pollutants. Stormwater runoff has been identified as a primary pathway for MP contamination in aquatic environments. Bioretention systems are capable of retaining particulate stormwater contaminants, including MPs. However, the accumulated MPs in bioretention systems are at risk of resuspension or further breakdown and contaminating groundwater. However, the distribution and accumulation of MPs in bioretention systems are not fully understood, and the solution to address this concern is still limited. In this project, the research agenda comprises two major tasks: 1) investigating the effects of infiltration rate, a key factor governing the performance of bioretention systems in water quality and quantity control, on distribution and accumulation of MPs, and 2) optimizing green retrofit, namely green engineered mulch (GEM) that has been proven to be effective in removing phosphorus and metals, for enhancing MP removal and minimize their distribution and accumulation in bioretention systems. Small-scale bioretention systems will be created. The MP concentrations and characteristics in infiltrate and bioretention media samples resulting from different infiltration rates and different implementation designs of the GEM will be evaluated. Successful completion of this study will pave the way toward field-scale implementation and optimization of the simple and economical retrofit that can minimize traditional and emerging contaminants.