Véronique Ruban

Mobility of trace metals in retention pond sediments.

This paper presents the results of a study on trace metal mobility in the sediments of several road and urban infiltration/decantation ponds in France; the trace metal concentrations are indeed high. The potential mobility of trace metals (cadmium, nickel, chromium, copper, lead and zinc) was evaluated by application of the sequential extraction BCR protocol. Results have been compared with those from the IHSS protocol, which allows for the extraction of various forms of organic matter. Cadmium is the most easily exchangeable element in the case of variations in physical-chemical conditions (50 % to 60 % of Cd is exchangeable and 70 % to 80 % of Cd remains within the fulvic acid fraction) and is thus easily releasable within an acidic medium. Zinc is also potentially mobile and stays mainly concentrated in fulvic acids, except in the case of the Ronchin sediment (more than 50 % in humin). In contrast, nickel and chromium are primarily present in the residual fraction and do not exhibit high mobility. Copper and lead are concentrated in both the humic acid fraction (IHSS protocol) and the organic phase (BCR scheme); consequently, their mobility is limited.

Characterization of atmospheric deposition and runoff water in a small suburban catchment.

A study has been carried out as part of the mission assigned to IRSTV (Research Institute of Urban Sciences and Techniques), a federative research network supported by the Loire Valley Region, with the objective of characterizing atmospheric deposition, roof runoff and street runoff in a small (31 ha) suburban catchment in Nantes equipped with a separate sewer system. Trace metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and pesticides were investigated. The characterization of atmospheric deposition reveals a high variability of trace metal concentrations, which could not be explained by rainfall characteristics. The relative abundance order of the metals was as follows: Zn > Cu > Cr ≈ Ni > Cd. Organic pollutants, i.e. PAHs and pesticides, were only rarely detected in the atmospheric deposition. Zn and Pb appear to be the major contaminants in runoff water, whereas the concentrations of Ni, Cu, Cr, Cd, PAHs and pesticides tend to remain low. On the whole, concentrations were similar to the lowest range reported in the literature. According to statutory thresholds, runoff water quality is poor because of the high Pb and Zn concentrations. Based on scanning electron microscopy observations, atmospheric particles do not apparently differ from runoff particles, with a predominance of pollen, bacteria and particles resulting from soil erosion. Spherical organic particles produced during fuel combustion have also been observed.

Review on physical and chemical characterizations of contaminated sediments from urban stormwater infiltration basins within the framework of the French observatory for urban hydrology (SOERE URBIS)

Urban stormwater infiltration basins are designed to hold runoff from impervious surfaces and allow the settling of sediments and associated pollutants. However concerns have been expressed about the environmental impacts that may be exerted by the trapped pollutants on groundwater, soils and ecosystems. In this context, sediment characterization represents a key issue for local authorities in terms of management strategies. During the last two decades, several studies were launched including either physical or chemical characterization of stormwater sediments but without real synthesis of data and methods used. Consequently, there is an important need for reviewing the current experimental techniques devoted to the physico-chemical characterization of sediment. The review is based on the outcomes of two experimental sites for which long term monitoring and data collection have been done: the Cheviré basin (near Nantes) and the Django Reinhardt basin (near Lyon). The authors summarize the studies dealing with bulk properties, pollutant contents, their potential mobility and speciation. This paper aims at promoting the significant progresses that were made through a multidisciplinary approach involving multi-scaled and combined experimental techniques.

Two treatment methods for stormwater sediments – pilot plant and landfarming – and reuse of the treated sediments in civil engineering

The aim of this research was to present a pilot plant for the treatment of stormwater sediments and to compare the decontamination rate to that obtained by landfarming. The possibilities for reuse of the treated sediments in civil engineering are also studied. Four sediments from retention/infiltration ponds or from street sweeping were studied. In each case organic matter (OM), total hydrocarbons (TH) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were measured. Geotechnical tests were carried out to evaluate the reuse possibilities of the treated sediments. Treatment by means of the pilot plant was efficient at reducing TH and PAH concentrations: THs were reduced by 53–97% and PAHs were decreased by 60–95%. By comparison, a reduction of 45–75% in TH concentration is obtained with landfarming, whereas there is no significant decrease in PAHs. Furthermore, geotechnical tests showed that the treated fractions from the pilot plant can be reused as road embankments and as a capping layer. These results are most encouraging and show that stormwater sediments can valuably be reused after treatment in a pilot plant. Landfarming is less efficient but this technique could be used as a pretreatment in the case of high TH pollution.

Characterisation of road sediments near Bordeaux with emphasis on phosphorus

Road sediments from the region of Bordeaux (France) were analysed for trace metals, hydrocarbons (including Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, PAHs) and phosphorus. The aim of the study was to assess their potential risk for the environment. The sediments were collected by means of a sweeper. The particles are mostly sandy clay loam and silty clay loam with 5.6-8.3% CaO. Heavy metal concentrations are generally below the French and Dutch standards for polluted soils, but a few samples have higher concentrations, e.g., 547 mg kg(-1) for Zn, and 222 mg kg(-1) for Pb. PAH concentrations are above the Dutch target value for polluted soils, and could be a threat to the environment: pyrene (2600 microg kg(-1)) and fluoranthene (1400 microg kg(-1)) have the highest concentrations, whereas chrysene (340 microg kg(-1)) has the lowest. Consequently, these sediments must be considered as waste according to the French circular no 2001-39 from 18 June 2001 and cannot be disposed of anywhere. The Standards Measurements and Testing (SMT) protocol for sequential extraction of phosphorus in sediments was used to determine the forms of phosphorus in the samples. Total phosphorus concentration is 620 mg kg(-1) on average, with a maximum of 933 mg kg(-1); organic phosphorus content is low (36 mg kg(-1) on average). The protocol could be slightly amended, especially with regards to organic phosphorus at low concentrations and could then be used for the determination of phosphorus in other materials such as sludge from detention ponds.

Trace metal fractionation as a mean to improve on the management of contaminated sediments from runoff water in infiltration basins

The management of stormwater sediment is a key issue for local authorities due to the pollution load and significant tonnages. In view of reuse, for example for civil engineering, the environmental evaluation of these highly aggregated sediments requires the study of the fractionation and mobility of trace metals. The distribution of trace metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) and their level of lability in three French stormwater sediments was determined using sequential and kinetic extractions (EDTA reagent) associated with mineralogical analysis and scanning electron microscopy observations. Using microanalysis, new data were acquired on the evolution of aggregate state during extractions, and on its significant role in the retention of trace metals. Trace metals were, in particular, observed to be very stable in small aggregates (10–50 μm). Comparison of the two extraction methods revealed that EDTA extraction was not convenient for evaluating the stable fraction of Cr, Ni and Zn. Moreover, the results were relevant for basins presenting similar sources of trace metals, whatever the physicochemical conditions in basins. The results suggest that the management of stormwater sediments could be improved by a better knowledge of metal mobility, as chemical extractions could highlight the localization of the mobile fraction of trace metals. Treatment could be therefore avoided, or specific treatment could be applied to a reduced volume of sediments.

Reduction of sediment micro-pollution by means of a pilot plant

Solutions need to be found to manage polluted (organic matter, trace elements, hydrocarbons and PAHs) stormwater sediments while complying with stringent economic and environmental requirements. The cost of transport is a relatively large part of the treatment cost for such sediments, hence the development of a pilot unit that could provide their in situ treatment. Seven stormwater sediments were treated by means of the ATTRISED pilot plant, based on sieving and attrition. The objective is to apply a treatment procedure by which as much clean material as possible is recovered, while the pollutants are concentrated in a small volume ready for final destruction or isolation from the environment. Application of the attrition process serves to remove fine particles and contaminants from the surface of sediments and hydrocyclone separations allow to isolate fine contaminated particles (< 60 microm). The results show that particle size separations coupled to an attrition step allow decontamination efficiencies of 76% and 70% for street sweeping and pond sediments, respectively. Although the experiments were carried out on stormwater sediments, all kinds of sediments may be treated by the ATTRISED pilot plant if the mean particle size is greater than 60 microm.

Stochastic evaluation of annual micropollutant loads and their uncertainties in separate storm sewers

This article describes a stochastic method to calculate the annual pollutant loads and its application over several years at the outlet of three catchments drained by separate storm sewers. A stochastic methodology using Monte Carlo simulations is proposed for assessing annual pollutant load, as well as the associated uncertainties, from a few event sampling campaigns and/or continuous turbidity measurements (representative of the total suspended solids concentration (TSS)). Indeed, in the latter case, the proposed method takes into account the correlation between pollutants and TSS. The developed method was applied to data acquired within the French research project “INOGEV” (innovations for a sustainable management of urban water) at the outlet of three urban catchments drained by separate storm sewers. Ten or so event sampling campaigns for a large range of pollutants (46 pollutants and 2 conventional water quality parameters: TSS and total organic carbon (TOC)) are combined with hundreds of rainfall events for which, at least one among three continuously monitored parameters (rainfall intensity, flow rate, and turbidity) is available. Results obtained for the three catchments show that the annual pollutant loads can be estimated with uncertainties ranging from 10 to 60%, and the added value of turbidity monitoring for lowering the uncertainty is demonstrated. A low inter-annual and inter-site variability of pollutant loads, for many of studied pollutants, is observed with respect to the estimated uncertainties, and can be explained mainly by annual precipitation.

Characterization of atmospheric deposition in a small suburban catchment

The objective here is to characterize atmospheric deposition in a small urban catchment. Our results show that micro pollutant concentrations are very low. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are only detected during the winter, while pesticides are detected in the summer. Due to the low traffic density and to the absence of industrial activities on the Pin Sec catchment, anthropogenic particles are rarely identified during scanning electron microscopy observations. On the contrary, particles of biological and detritic origins are ubiquitous. This characterization will be completed by a new approach aiming at a better knowledge of dry deposition.

SFGP 2007 - Treatment of Stormwater Sediments with a View to Their Re-Use

The objective of this research is to show the efficiency of a pilot plant based on sieving and attrition for the treatment of stormwater sediments. Seven sediments from retention/infiltration ponds and street sweeping were chosen for the pilot study. Geotechnical tests were carried out in order to make sure that the treated sediments have the required characteristics to be re-used. The study shows that these sediments can valuably be processed by means of a pilot plant allowing the concentration of pollutants in the fine particles. Our results are encouraging and show that, taking into account environmental, geotechnical and economical requirements, up to 75 % of the bulk sediment can be re-used after the proposed treatment.