Sorbtive media

What is it?

Sorbtive media is an oxide-based, high surface area reactive engineered media that absorbs and retains large amounts of dissolved phosphorus. It does not desorb (leach) pollutants and has a low total phosphorus effluent concentration (< 0.1 mg/L). Sorbtive Media controls phosphorus by two mechanisms:

1. Physical filtration is the removal of particulate-bound phosphorus and sediment, and
2. Sorption is the physio-chemical removal of dissolved phosphorus (the biologically available portion).

How is it being used?

The “Sorbtive Media” website highlights multiple projects where their product was used for phosphorus removal. At the Sturgeon Meadows Stormwater Management Facility in Leamington, Ontario, Sorbtive Media was applied as a retrofit component to enhance pollutant removal withing an existing dry pond as part of a treatment train. A 30 cm layer was applied within retrofitted trenches in combination with washed stone and rip rap rock to manage the expected treatment flow.

The Rumble Pond Retrofit project in Richmond Hill, Ontario used Sorbtive Media in combination with permeable interlocking pavers to enhance overall capacity of the pervious pavers.

A partnership between Credit Valley Conservation and the University of Guelph completed a project at the IMAX Corporation headquarters in which Sorbtive Media was used downstream of a bioretention cell to provide tertiary nutrient treatment.

A project at Mayville Park in Upstate New York used six retrofit filtration cells surrounding draining inlets near a community centre, which previously had no stormwater treatment on-site. In addition to these projects included on their website, Sorbtive Media was installed at the Colony Trail retrofit in East Gwillimbury. The Imbrium Sorbtive Media chamber removed an average of 66 % of dissolved phosphate from the site.

Benefits

A pilot study was undertaken by researchers at Fleming College in Ontario, Canada to assess the phosphorus removal performance of bioretention soil mix amended with Sorbtive Media. Five bioretention cells were constructed and filled with a soil mix comprised of sand, peat moss, and various percentages of Sorbtive Media. Batches of artificial stormwater containing differing concentrations of phosphorus were used to simulate storm events on the bioretention cells. Through analysis of the influent and effluent concentrations, it was determined that the amended bioretention cells demonstrated substantial improvement in phosphorus removal. Each of the amended cells maintained removal efficiency of up to 99 % and at least 84 % for the duration of the study, even when blended into the soil mix at only 3 - 5 % volume basis.

The technique of removing pollutants from runoff as it infiltrates through the soil.

Soil, sand and minerals washed from land into water, usually after rain. They pile up in reservoirs, rivers and harbors, destroying fish-nesting areas and holes of water animals and cloud the water so that needed sunlight might not reach aquatic plans. Careless farming, mining and building activities will expose sediment materials, allowing them to be washed off the land after rainfalls.

A body of water smaller than a lake, often artificially formed.

A shallow excavated surface depression containing prepared filter media, mulch, and planted with selected vegetation.

Mineral particles which are smaller than 2 mm, and which are free of appreciable quantities of clay and silt. Coarse sand usually designates sand grains with particle size between 0.2 and 0.02 mm.

Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority

A shallow excavated surface depression containing prepared filter media, mulch, and planted with selected vegetation.