What is it about?

The adsorption behaviour of metals deposited on road surfaces is a complex process and influenced by a range of factors common to the urban environment. However, all factors do not have the same level of importance. It is therefore important to identify the most crucial factors for accurate stormwater quality predictions for implementing effective stormwater pollution mitigation measures.

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Why is it important?

This study investigated the extrinsic and intrinsic factors in terms of their degree of influence on the adsorption of individual metal cations to particulates. The variability associated with the adsorption of Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, Cr and Ni to road dust was found to be influenced by changes to the antecedent dry days and land use characteristics. The initial dry days after a storm event exerts a significant influence on adsorption compared to the later dry days in all land uses. In terms of the intrinsic physico-chemical properties of road dust, the parameters that influence the adsorption process differ in terms of the type of metal cation and particle size fractions of solids.

Perspectives

The objectives of this study were: (1) to identify the relevant factors which influence the variability associated with metal adsorption to road dust; and (2) to analyse the most crucial intrinsic factors related to the adsorption of individual metal cations to road dust.

Professor Ashantha Goonetilleke
Queensland University of Technology

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This page is a summary of: Intrinsic and extrinsic factors which influence metal adsorption to road dust, The Science of The Total Environment, March 2018, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.11.047.
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