Removal effect of pollutants from stormwater runoff in shallow bioretention system with gramineous plants

Abstract

The bioretention system is one of the most widely used low impact development (LID) facilities with efficient purification capacity for stormwater, and its planting design has been a hot spot for research at home and abroad. In this paper, ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), bermuda (Cynodon dactylon Linn.), bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flugge), and green grass (Cynodon dactylon × C .transadlensis ‘Tifdwarf’) were chosen as plant species to construct a shallow bioretention system. The growth traits and nutrient absorption ability of four gramineous plants were analyzed. Their tolerance, enrichment, and transportation capacity were also evaluated to compare plant species and their absorptive capacity of heavy metals (Cu, Pb, and Zn). Results showed that the maximum absorption rate (Imax) ranged from 22.1 to 42.4 μg/(g·h) for P and ranged from 65.4 to 104.8 μg/(g·h) for NH4+-N; ryegrass had the strongest absorption capacity for heavy metals and the maximum removal rates of Cu, Pb, and Zn by four grasses were 78.4, 59.4, and 51.3%, respectively; the bioretention cell with ryegrass (3#) was significantly more effective in purifying than the unplanted bioretention cell (1#) during the simulated rainfall test. Overall, the system parameters were optimized to improve the technical application of gramineous plants in the bioretention system.