Urban stormwater runoff is recognised as a substantial source of heavy metal contamination, which adversely impacts on water quality of regional receiving waterways. Conventional treatment of urban runoff mostly involves a filtration system using sand to retain particulate matters. Sand provides limited sorption of dissolved metals and the inclusion of commercial sorbents to these treatment systems is not cost effective due to the concentration of dissolved metals in the runoff. Recycled organic materials are by-products or waste from industrial or agricultural operations, and could be alternative low cost sorbents for stormwater treatment systems. The use of recycled sorbents also provides added value to the waste materials and reduces landfill disposal. The research explores the application of compost, zeolite, ash, and recyclable waste in urban runoff treatment, especially for dissolved metal removal. The research combines the two aspects of experimental studies and management analysis to develop a holistic approach to heavy metal control in urban stormwater systems. Experimental results of batch sorption test show that compost is suitable for removing dissolve copper in stormwater treatment. The comparison of the different mixing ratios between compost and glass beads in column test evaluates the optimum mixing sorbent and performance over a long period for copper removal. Substance Flow Analysis (SFA) of copper has been performed in the Upper Parramatta River Catchment, Sydney to identify the sources of copper associated with runoff, effect of using waste material such as compost in urban stormwater treatment and the copper load in urban stormwater runoff. This case study shows the relationship between copper input, copper stock, sorbent type and urban stormwater quality control in the system boundary of the catchment. Different scenarios of source control are evaluated to control copper load from the different sources. Source control focusing on roads and vehicles is the most effective copper control strategy. The combination of source control and stormwater treatment reduces copper in stormwater and receiving water. The thesis applies the analysis from SFA and experimental results to derive both a regional system-wide solution with source control, and an improved design of stormwater treatment for heavy metal removal using recycled organics.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/257664 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Seelsaen, Nida, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, UNSW |
| Publisher | Publisher:University of New South Wales. Civil & Environmental Engineering |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | http://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/copyright, http://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/copyright |
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