Biochar as bioretention systems for water quality improvement in Malaysia

Department of Civil Engineering, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Jalan Broga, Semenyih 43500, Selangor, Malaysia

^* Corresponding author: Anurita.Selvarajoo@nottingham.edu.my

Abstract

Rapid urbanization and constant development of infrastructure in the civil engineering community has accelerated in the past decades. However, there has been a reduction of permeable surfaces for rainwater and surface runoff to escape, raising concerns regarding flooding and water quality especially in Malaysia where the tropical climate and heavy rainfall applies pressure on the bioretention systems. To lessen the issue, this paper will be looking into biochar’s benefits in bioretention systems focussing on the type of biochar which will be most suited in improving water quality. In particular, two types of biochar were compared such as rice husk biochar and palm biochar to be tested as bioretention system and different water samples were run through them. Various water quality parameter tests were conducted to evaluate biochar’s performance in reducing pollutants and contaminants from the water samples and thus enable to draw a conclusion on which is the most effective for bioretention use. With a deeper understanding of biochar’s capabilities and limitations, stormwater management strategies can be improved to make the construction industry more sustainable.