Water quality and hydraulic performance of biochar amended biofilters for management of agricultural runoff.

This research evaluated the effect of biochar amendment rate on nitrogen species and organic carbon removals and hydraulic performance in biofilter columns treating dairy farm runoff. Initial studies compared the performance of sand columns amended with two types of biochar with different specific surface area (SA) and cation exchange capacity (CEC) with an un-amended sand column. The results showed that biochar enhanced N-species removal due to its unique physicochemical properties.

Biochar amendment of stormwater bioretention systems for nitrogen and Escherichia coli removal: Effect of hydraulic loading rates and antecedent dry periods.

Bioretention systems improve stormwater infiltration and water quality; however, limited total nitrogen (TN) and fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) removal is observed in sand-based bioretention media. In this study, the fate of nitrogen and E. coli in bioretention systems was investigated through batch and column studies using sand media, with and without biochar addition.