Urbanization leads to higher phosphorus (P) concentration in urban catchments. Among different stormwater retention measures, green roofs are the least efficient in phosphorus retention. Moreover, much research has shown that green roofs act as sources of phosphorus, and they can emit P in significant loads. In this study low P emission green roof substrate was developed based on the proposed step by step procedure for the selection of materials including laboratory tests, column experiments, and the monitoring of the open air green roof model. Developed substrate is the mixture of crushed red brick (35% of volume), crushed limestone (20% of volume), and sand (45% of volume), and is characterized by a bulk density of 1.52 g/cm 3 , water permeability of 9 mm/min, water capacity of 24.6% of volume, and granulometric composition that meets the Landscaping and Landscape Development Research Society (FLL) guidelines. Limestone was added to limit the potential P leaching from crushed red brick and vegetated mate consisted of Sedum album, Sedum acre, Sedum kamtschaticum, Sedum spurium, Sedum reflexum, Sedum sexangulare, Dianthus deltoides, Dianthus carthusianorum, and Thymus vulgaris. The open air model experiment was run for 319 days, from March 2015 to February 2016. The total water runoff from the green roof model amounted to 43.3% of runoff from the reference roof. The only one runoff event polluted with phosphorus was connected with the outflow of melted snow from an unfreezing green roof model.

Abstract:The main hypothesis of the presented study is that the negative effect of phosphorus leaching from a green roof substrate can be reduced by including P-reactive material in a drainage layer. In this work, different aggregates (Pollytag ® , lightweight expanded clay aggregates, chalcedony, serpentynite and crushed autoclaved aerated concrete) to be used as the green roof drainage layer are described. Physical parameters, e.g., granulometric composition, water absorption, bulk density and porosity are assessed. A phosphorus sorption isotherm and a kinetic test were performed. Physical and chemical characteristics of the materials were used as a base for choosing the best media for the drainage layer. The P-removal efficiency of crushed autoclaved aerated concrete was confirmed in a column experiment. Adding the implementation of the P-reactive material in a drainage layer during construction can reduce the negative effect of substrate on green roof runoff quality.

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The retention of rainwater is one of the main functions of green roofs in urban areas. One of the elements influencing the variability of rainwater retention on green roofs is the configuration of the roof, i.e. the combination of drainage and vegetation layers and plants. In the article, laboratory studies regarding the influence of the vegetation layer of the green roof on the retention of rainwater were carried out, and the influence of changes in the initial moisture content in extensive and intensive substrates on retention were compared. The analysis of seven randomly selected substrates showed that the runoff coefficients range from 0.59 to 0.71. In the case of the retention, statistically significant differences were observed in terms of the rainfall volume as well as the initial moisture content.