Culvert Retrofit with Green Filter Media for the Removal of Phosphorus from Stormwater Runoff

Authors

• Somdipta Bagchi, Stevens Institute of Technology
• Zhiming Zhang, Rowan University
• Olayinka Olayiwola, Stevens Institute of Technology
• Bharadwaj Mandala, Rowan University
• Rupali Datta, Michigan Technological InstituteFollow
• Subhasis Giri, Rutgers University
• Richard Lathrop, Rutgers University
• Dibyendu Sarkar, Stevens Institute of Technology

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-18-2026

Department

Department of Biological Sciences

Abstract

Phosphorus is a ubiquitous contaminant in urban and agricultural landscapes. A retention basin located in the southern part of Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, was identified as receiving stormwater runoff with elevated phosphorus concentrations. The basin is surrounded by expanding urban development, contributing to the progressive degradation of water quality in the bay, which is already highly eutrophic. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a culvert retrofit with a green filter media composed of granulated-aluminum-based drinking water-treatment residuals (Al-WTR) and granular carbon (5:1 ratio, w/w) for the removal of phosphorus and suspended sediments from stormwater runoff. The performance of the filter media was assessed through water quality monitoring following runoff events over a 12-month period. The results indicated that the green filter media achieved up to 52% removal of total phosphorus from stormwater influent. However, treatment efficiency declined after approximately five months due to clogging of the geotextile bag housing the media. The replacement of the geotextile bag restored phosphorus removal performance (59%), highlighting the importance of routine maintenance. The findings demonstrate a cost-effective, environmentally sustainable, and innovative green engineering approach for mitigating phosphorus contamination in urban stormwater.

Publisher's Statement

Copyright: © 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Publisher’s version of record: https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19061193

Publication Title

Materials (Basel, Switzerland)

Recommended Citation

Bagchi, S., Zhang, Z., Olayiwola, O., Mandala, B., Datta, R., Giri, S., Lathrop, R., & Sarkar, D. (2026). Culvert Retrofit with Green Filter Media for the Removal of Phosphorus from Stormwater Runoff. Materials (Basel, Switzerland), 19(6). http://doi.org/10.3390/ma19061193
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/michigantech-p2/2462

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Version

Publisher's PDF