Emissions of organic pollutants from traffic and roads: Priority pollutants selection and substance flow analysis

Abstract

A large number of organic pollutants (OPs) emitted from vehicles and traffic-related activities exhibit environmental persistence and a tendency to bioaccumulate, and may have detrimental long-term effects on aquatic life. The aim of the study was to establish a list of significant sources of OPs occurring in road runoff, identify the OPs emitted from these sources, select a number of priority pollutants (PP), and estimate the quantity of PPs emitted in a road environment case study using substance flow analysis (SFA). The priority pollutants included in the SFA were selected from a list of approximately 1100 compounds found after comprehensive screening, including literature and database searches, expert judgments, the Ranking and Identification of Chemical Hazards method, and chemical analysis of sediments. The results showed the following priority order: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)>alkanes C-C>alkylphenols>phthalates>aldehydes>phenolic antioxidants>bisphenol A>oxygenated-PAHs>naphtha C-C>amides>amines. Among these, PAHs were chosen for a SFA, which was performed for a highway case study area in Gothenburg (Sweden). The SFA showed that the main sources of PAHs emitted in the area were vehicle exhaust gases, followed by tyre wear, motor lubricant oils, road surface wear, and brake linings. Only 2-6% of the total 5.8-29kg annually emitted PAHs/ha ended up in the stormwater sewer system. The measured PAH loads were found in much smaller amounts than the calculated loads and the outflow to stormwater contained much more of the hazardous PAHs than the total loads emitted in the catchment area.

Stochastic Method for Evaluating Removal, Fate and Associated Uncertainties of Micropollutants in a Stormwater Biofilter at an Annual Scale

“…One potential source of alkylphenols (OP and NP) in the BFS is the degradation of alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEO). Indeed, alkylphenols and short-chained APEO (OP 1 EO, OP 2 EO, NP 1 EO and NP 2 EO) are the stable by-products of the degradation of industrially-produced, longer-chained APEO [37], for which tires, plastic vehicle components, paints, lubricant oils and asphalt are all potential sources in road runoff [38]. Therefore, if these longer-chained APEO, which were not analysed in the present study, are present in runoff, their degradation after retention by the BFS is likely to produce NP and OP in the BFS, which may at least partially explain the excess of these contaminants found in the soil.…”

Hydrodynamic modelling of the influence of stormwater and combined sewer overflows on receiving water quality: Benzo(a)pyrene and copper risks to recreational water

“…Benzo[a]pyrene, as well as other PAHs, is emitted during combustion of organic material, e.g. waste incineration, wood burning and vehicle exhaust, as well as from tyre rubber and other petroleum products (Markiewicz et al 2017, Ravindra et al 2008. Major sources of Cu in urban runoff include vehicle brake pads and roofing.…”

“…The largest input of pollutants with stormwater is associated with traffic and roads (Figure 2, Supporting Information), often identified as major pollution sources to urban stormwater, followed by industrial land use (Markiewicz et al 2017, Tang et al 2013, Tiefenthaler et al 2008. By implementing treatment of runoff from some of the major roads in Gothenburg, e.g.…”

Pollution Removal Performance of Laboratory Simulations of Sydney’s Street Stormwater Biofilters

“…To minimize this effect, internal tube surfaces were lightly sanded to retard edge flow, and distribution of the synthetic stormwater took place over a mulch in the centre of the column [19]. Heavy metal indicators in road runoff have also been shown to exhibit strong correlation, with hydrocarbon indicators such as BTEXN (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, and naphthalene), TRH (total recoverable hydrocarbons), and PAH [13,14]. This makes highly soluble heavy metals, such as zinc, good proxies for a range of co-generated pollutants in hydraulic column experiments where added non-polar hydrocarbons would coat filter particles, interfering with the removal of important polar pollutants, such as the metals and nutrients.…”