Retention of Copper and Zinc from Traffic Area Runoff by Topsoil of Vegetated Infiltration Swales Amended with Recycled Demolition Waste

Infiltration swales are a prospective key component of water-sensitive urban planning. The utilization of appropriate soil amendments is intended to facilitate the retention of pollutants from the stormwater runoff of traffic areas. Little is known about the possibility of utilizing processed construction and demolition waste (CDW) as an amendment to improve pollutant retention. We conducted batch and field tests to investigate (i) the leaching of metals and other elements from soil substrates containing CDW and (ii) their retention potential for copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) when charged with real traffic area runoff. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the chemical interactions, we (iii) employed sequential extractions using an optimized protocol from treated and untreated soil substrates. In batch tests, the potential of vanadium leaching from technosols amended with brick-dominated CDW was apparent. When charged with traffic area runoff, the retentions of Cu and Zn in the technosols were comparable to those of the control soil without CDW. However, the simulation of high rainfall intensities reduced Cu and Zn retention in the technosols and the control. The results from the subsequent sequential extraction of Cu and Zn imply shifts in the chemical binding in the technosols compared to the control.