A study of the distribution and composition of pollutants in snow collected from streets and a treatment system for recycling snow in winter cities

Abstract

A B S T R A C TIn winter, cold cities have a severe shortage of water resources. Snow is a potential water resource, and the effective classification and recycling of snow is, therefore, significant for addressing the sustainable utilization of urban water resources in cities during the winter months. In this study, the water quality and pollutant composition of snow collected along a transect across a typical street were analyzed to develop an on-site treatment technique based on the classification of snow water. The levels of suspended substances, COD, salt, ammonia, and oil in snow from urban streets were relatively high. The salinity, conductivity, and chloride levels were also high due to the application of a snow-melting agent. Twenty-nine major pollutants were identified, and the oily substances were dominated by hexadecane accompanied by toxic substances such as BTEX and naphthalene. Snow can adsorb and receive pollutants from the streets, while becoming a carrier for pollutants. The underground space below city streets is proposed for establishing a snow-melting system. The snow meltwater may be directly discharged into double subsurface tanks if the concentration of suspended substances is less than 200 mg/L. A V-type filtering tank may be used if the concentration of suspended substances is greater than 200 mg/L. This method, which integrates city planning and municipal technology, accomplishes both the recycling and utilization of snow water, as well as the on-site treatment of pollutants.

Laboratory Melting of Late-Winter Urban Snow Samples: The Magnitude and Dynamics of Releases of Heavy Metals and PAHs

“…Millions of tonnes of salt are applied each winter in cool temperate climate countries as de-icers improving the mobility and traffic safety (Venner and Zeimer 2004). Such salt increases the conductivity, salinity, and chloride concentrations in meltwater (Xue et al 2015) and also the dissolved and truly dissolved fractions of heavy metals. Releases of chloride from a melting snow pack follow the preferential elution (Exall et al 2011; and may cause toxic shocks to the aquatic life in the receiving waterbodies (Novotny et al 1998).…”

Fluorescence-Based Detection of Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylene, and Cumene (BTEXC) Compounds in Fuel-Contaminated Snow Environments

“…One potential source of BTEXC exposure is through snow melt, a particular concern in geographic regions in which snowfall is prevalent, including in New England [32]. Literature reports indicate that BTEXC is often found in snow [33], and that snow melting leads to BTEXC contamination of the local water supply [34], which affects species who consume the water as well as those who live in the water [35].…”