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Evaluation of sugar beet pulp efficiency for improving the retention of copper in stormwater basin

  • SEDIMENTS, SEC 2 • PHYSICAL AND BIOGEOCHEMICAL PROCESSES • RESEARCH ARTICLE
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Abstract

Purpose

Sugar beet pulp (SBP) has been shown to be a promising low-cost sorbent for the removal of metals from contaminated waters. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of SBP addition to horizontal-flow gravel filters in increasing the copper (Cu) retention ability of stormwater basins.

Material and methods

Small-scale gravel filters filled with 6 kg of a sand–sediment mix (SS) were used to experimentally treat Cu-contaminated water under conditions that represented an intense storm event. Sugar beet pulp efficiency was assessed by adding 100 g of raw SBP. Two ways of applying SBP were tested: (1) mixed with SS into the gravel filter or (2) packed at the outlet in a PVC column. Eluates were characterized by their volume, pH, Cu and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations.

Results and discussion

When placed at the outlet, SBP fixed 73 % of the Cu remaining in solution and increased the overall retention capacity of the gravel filter to 99.4 %. Conversely, when SBP was mixed with SS, the outflowing water carried higher concentrations of Cu and DOC. Complementary batch experiments underlined the crucial role of DOC in the decline of Cu sorption ability observed when SS and SBP were mixed. Geochemical calculations suggested that DOC (assumed to be pectins) promotes the mobilisation of Cu from SS by complexing it in porewater.

Conclusions

Accompanied with careful guidance, SBP has the potential of removing dissolved Cu from contaminated water in gravel filters. Protocols for SBP preparation and conditions of use should be established so as to promote its sorption efficiency and decrease its release of Cu-complexing compounds like pectins.

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Acknowledgments

Financial support of this work was provided by the European Union through the project LIFE ENVIRONMENT ArtWET “Mitigation of agricultural nonpoint-source pesticides pollution and phytoremediation in artificial wetland ecosystems”. We thank Sylvie Bussière and Cécile Fontaine (INRA, Villenave d’Ornon, France) for their help with exp. 1 and 2 and Mourad Elhabiri (University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France) for his help with geochemical calculations.

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Correspondence to Jean-Yves Cornu.

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Responsible editor: Kimberley N. Irvine

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Cornu, JY., Huguenot, D., Jezequel, K. et al. Evaluation of sugar beet pulp efficiency for improving the retention of copper in stormwater basin. J Soils Sediments 13, 220–229 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-012-0625-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-012-0625-7

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