The Effects of Rainfall Runoff Pollutants on Plant Physiology in a Bioretention System Based on Pilot Experiments

Yongwei Gong, Yan Hao, Junqi Li, Haiyan Li, Zhenyao Shen, Wenhai Wang and Sisi Wang
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Yongwei Gong: Key Laboratory of Urban Stormwater System and Water Environment, Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, China
Yan Hao: Key Laboratory of Urban Stormwater System and Water Environment, Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, China
Junqi Li: Key Laboratory of Urban Stormwater System and Water Environment, Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, China
Haiyan Li: Beijing Advanced Innovation Center of Urban Design for Future Cities, Beijing 100044, China
Zhenyao Shen: State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Wenhai Wang: Beijing Advanced Innovation Center of Urban Design for Future Cities, Beijing 100044, China
Sisi Wang: National Demonstration Center for Experimental Water Environment Education (Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture), Beijing 100044, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 22, 1-16

Abstract: Bioretention facilities have been widely used in the construction of Sponge City in China, but there have also been doubts about whether road runoff pollutants have adverse effects on plant growth. In response to this problem, this paper explored the effects of bioretention on the removal of pollutants and explored the effects of runoff on plant growth and physiology. The results showed that (1) the average concentration reduction rate and load removal rate of TN and NO 3 - -N were above 70%, the average NH 4 + -N concentration reduction rate and load removal rate were greater than 90%, and the removal of elemental N was affected by the influent concentration. The removal effect of the four heavy metals was not very great. The average concentration reduction rate and load removal rate of heavy metals were 65.4–95.7% and 85.4–99.4%, respectively. The cumulative load removal rate of various pollutants was above 87.0%. (2) The runoff of high–concentration pollutants had a negative or no significant effects on the net photosynthesis rates (P n ), chlorophyll contents (CC), and electrolyte leakage (EL) of most plants (e.g., Iris tectorum Maxim , Rosa xanthina Lindl , and Ligustrum vicaryi ). It had a significantly negative effect on the plant height of shrub plants (e.g., Rosa xanthina Lindl and Ligustrum vicaryi ), but had a positive effect on P n and CC of Iris lactea var. chinensis . (3) The runoff of low–concentration pollutants had a positive or no significant effects on the physiological indexes of herbaceous plants (e.g., Iris tectorum Maxim and Iris lactea var. chinensis ), but there were no explicit conclusions regarding the physiological indicators of shrub plants (e.g., Rosa xanthina Lindl and Ligustrum vicaryi ). It had no obvious effects on the plant height of these four species of plants.

Keywords: bioretention; rainfall runoff; pollutant reduction; net photosynthetic rate; plant chlorophyll; electrolyte leakage (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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