MPC Research Reports
Report Details

Title:	Bacteria Removal from Stormwater Runoff Using Steel Byproduct Filters
Authors:	Guanghui Hua, Brenden Olevson, Peng Dai, Abdoul Kouanda, Kyungnan Min, and Christopher Schmit
University:	South Dakota State University
Publication Date:	Aug 2024
Report #:	MPC-24-543
Project #:	MPC-597
TRID #:	01935582
Keywords:	bacteria, filters, recycled materials, runoff, steel, water quality management

Abstract

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is often used as an indicator organism to quantify the microbial safety of natural water resources. E. coli in stormwater runoff can cause serious health risks in natural water bodies. Conventional stormwater best management practices are generally not effective at removing E. coli from stormwater runoff. A new filtration technology using recycled steel byproducts has been developed to remove E. coli from stormwater. Steel chips and steel slag are two common steel byproducts that showed high capacities for E. coli removal. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term performance of steel byproduct filters and provide recommendations for future field applications. Laboratory and field scale studies were conducted to determine the impact of material mixing ratios and operation time on the filter performance. The results showed that the steel byproduct filter exhibited consistent E. coli removal during three consecutive years of operation. Steel chips and steel slag are effective filter materials for long-term field applications. Higher ratios of steel chips to steel slag in the steel byproduct filter resulted in higher E. coli removal. However, large quantities of steel chips in the filter may cause material agglomeration during filter operation, which can negatively affect the hydraulic properties of the filter. We recommend that the steel chips to steel slag ratios should not exceed 30% for field scale applications based on the results of this study.

How to Cite

Hua, Guanghui, Brenden Olevson, Peng Dai, Abdoul Kouanda, Kyungnan Min, and Christopher Schmit. Bacteria Removal from Stormwater Runoff Using Steel Byproduct Filters, MPC-24-543. North Dakota State University - Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute, Fargo: Mountain-Plains Consortium, 2024.