Colloidal fractions of persistent organic pollutants in road runoff: sources, generation and innovative treatment techniques
Research Project, 2014
– 2017
One of the major sources of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in urban areas is traffic. Stormwater flushing over road surfaces gathers a variety of metals and organic pollutants. Some of these pollutants easily bind to nanoparticles, e.g. colloids, and consequently become persistent in environment and difficult to remove from the water phase. Techniques used to reduce the amount of pollutants from stormwater include for example stormwater ponds or disc- and sorption filters. Street sweeping and car washing may also be used to reduce the amounts of POPs reaching the environment. However, there is currently not much knowledge on how effective available methods are to remove the colloidal fractions of POPs. The main task of this project is to carry out research to determine, quantify and finally remove colloidal pollutants from road runoff, before they contaminate surface and ground waters. This includes an extensive study of sources, uses and emissions of POPs, generation of colloidal POPs in road environments as well as investigating the effectiveness of existing methods. The research is expected to provide information to propose the best solutions for reducing or removing POPs from traffic and road runoff.
Participants
Ann-Margret Hvitt Strömvall (contact)
Chalmers, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Water Environment Technology
Karin Björklund
Chalmers, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Water Environment Technology
Yuliya Kalmykova
Chalmers, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Water Environment Technology
Anna Markiewicz
Chalmers, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Water Environment Technology
Collaborations
Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
Lyngby, Denmark
University of British Columbia (UBC)
Vancouver, Canada
Funding
Formas
Project ID: 245-2013-1164
Funding Chalmers participation during 2014–2017
Related Areas of Advance and Infrastructure
Sustainable development
Driving Forces