Phosphorus Retention by Bioretention Mesocosms Using Media Formulated for Phosphorus Sorption: Response to Accelerated Loads

Recent research indicates that phosphorus (P) retention by bioretention systems comprising sandy media may not be effective for even a decade of urban runoff loads. To improve P retention for longer durations, this paper present findings from bioretention mesocosms using media amended with red mud (RM), a by-product of bauxite processing; water treatment residuals (WTRs), a by-product of water treatment; or Krasnozem soil (K), a highly aggregated clay soil. All treatments were vegetated except for one (K20nv). All treatments had outlets to restrict outflows except for one (WTR-Knr). To simulate the effect of long-term nutrient loads, the mesocosms were loaded weekly with secondary treated effluent with P concentrations averaging 3.3  mg-L-1. Over 80 weeks, this comprised hydraulic loads from 24.5 to 29.3  m-year-1 at a flow-weighted average between 2.8 and 3.2  mg-L-1 PO4-P, or mass loads from 1,115 to 1,284  kg-ha-1 PO4-P. These cumulative P loads represent the equivalent of over three decades of runoff ...

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