Abstract
Stormwater represents a major non-point pollution source at an urban environment. To improve the treatment efficacy of stormwater infrastructure, low-cost adsorbents have increasingly gained attention over the past decades. This article aims to briefly discuss several key aspects and principles for utilization of low-cost adsorbents for urban stormwater treatment. To determine whether a low-cost adsorbent is suitable for stormwater treatment, two aspects should be carefully assessed, including: 1) its adsorption mechanisms and behaviors that can influence the binding strength, adsorption kinetics, and treatment capacity; and 2) unwanted chemical leaching patterns that can affect the extent of water quality degradation. Furthermore, the application mode of an adsorbent in the system design influences the utilization efficiency. Adsorbents, after dosed to soil media in infrastructure, would eventually become ineffective after oversaturation. In contrast, standalone filters or innovative composite adsorbents (e.g., adsorbent-coated mulch chips) can enable a long-lasting adsorption due to periodic replacement with fresh adsorbents. The aforementioned principles play a key role in the success of urban stormwater treatment with low-cost adsorbents.
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Acknowledgements
We greatly appreciate the support from US Environmental Protection Agency (Grant Nos. SU836773 and SV839355).
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Highlights
• Various low-cost adsorbents are studied for capturing urban stormwater pollutants.
• Adsorbents are selected based on both pollutant adsorption and unexpected leaching.
• Application modes of adsorbents influence their utilization efficacy in practice.
Yang Deng, Ph.D., P.E., is a Professor of Environmental Engineering at Montclair State University (New Jersey, USA). His research centers on innovative and sustainable water treatment technologies. Dr. Deng has authored or co-authored more than 120 peer-reviewed journal articles. He is the recipient of 2019 Superior Achievement Award from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers & Scientists (AAEES).
Dr. Deng earned his B.S. and M.S. at Tongji University (Shanghai, China) and his Ph.D. at the University of Miami (Florida, USA).
Dr. Deng presently serves as Associate Editor for Water Environment Research and Journal of Environmental Engineering-ASCE, in addition to the Editor of Invited Reviews/Manuscripts for the Journal of Environmental Engineering-ASCE. He is also a member in the Editorial Board of Journal of Hazardous Materials and Chemical Engineering Journal Advances.
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Deng, Y. Low-cost adsorbents for urban stormwater pollution control. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng. 14, 83 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-020-1262-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-020-1262-9