Harsha Fowdar

Monash University (Australia) · Department of Civil Engineering, Clayton

Stormwater biofilters are one of the most widely used nature-based solutions for urban water management. In the last 20 years, biofilters have been extensively studied for their pollutant removal performance; however, their application in the field is limited by high maintenance requirements. In this work, we propose the concept of zero additional...

Nature-based solutions or Green infrastructure (GI) used for managing stormwater pollution are growing in popularity across the globe. Stormwater GI models are important tools to inform the planning of these systems (type, design, size), in the most efficient and cost-effective manner. MUSIC, an example of such a tool, uses regression and first ord...

Stormwater biofiltration systems (also known as biofilters, bioretention, rain gardens) are engineered nature-based solutions, which help mitigate aquatic nitrogen pollution arising from storm runoff. These systems are being increasingly used in a range of climates across the world. A decline in treatment performance is frequently observed in cold...

In Singapore, active, beautiful, clean waters design features (ABCWDFs), such as rain gardens and vegetated swales, are used as a sustainable approach for stormwater management. Field monitoring studies characterising the performance of these design features in the tropical region are currently limited, hampering the widespread implementation of th...

In 2012, China introduced the Sponge City Agenda as a solution to challenges such as increasing urbanisation and population growth, leading to urban flooding and water pollution. The initiative requires new nature-based technologies tailored for Chinese conditions. Biofiltration or bioretention systems have proven to be promising technologies to mi...

Urban green infrastructure (GI) such as biofiltration systems (also known as bioretention, biofilters, rain gardens) are being increasingly implemented in different parts of the world to enhance urban greening whilst controlling stormwater pollution. Treatment effectiveness has been shown to be reliant upon the surrounding climate, including rainfa...

Greywater is an alternative water resource, having many favourable characteristics over stormwater or wastewater. In particular, it can be supplied consistently and generated close to desirable end-use applications. Although greywater is considered to contain a low level of contamination, treatment is still required before the end-use, and passive...

The intermittent nature of stormwater runoff impacts the treatment performance of biofilters, also known as stormwater biofiltration or bioretention systems and raingardens. During extended dry periods, which are common even in temperate climates, plants can perish, creating unattractive and non-functional systems that might leach pollutants during...

Rapid urbanization and water scarcity in Indonesian cities are fuelling the demand for more diversified water sources to meet demand (ADB, 2016). The sustainable use and appropriation of public spaces in Indonesia is one of the lowest in the world (Althoff et al, 2017). This is partly because of the lack of connected and enjoyable walking tracks an...

To increase the resilience and liveability of cities and to maintain their productivity, green infrastructure is being highly viewed as a sustainable development strategy. Green infrastructure or technologies, essentially, represent a set of engineered elements providing multiple ecosystem services at building and urban scales. They aim to integrat...

Nitrogen is a pollutant of great concern when present in excess in surface waters. Living wall biofiltration systems that employ ornamentals and climbing plants are an emerging green technology that has recently demonstrated significant potential to reduce nitrogen concentrations from greywater before outdoor domestic re-use. However, there still e...

Phosphorus, a critical environmental pollutant, is effectively removed from stormwater by biofiltration systems, mainly via sedimentation and straining. However, the fate of dissolved inflow phosphorus concentrations in these systems is unknown. Given the growing interest in using biofiltration systems to treat other polluted waters, for example gr...

Greywater is being increasingly used as an alternative water source to reduce potable water demand and to alleviate pressure on sewerage systems. This paper presents the development of a low energy and low maintenance greywater treatment technology: a living wall system, employing ornamental plants (including vines) grown in a sand filter on a side...

Biofiltration has been shown to be an effective technology for urban stormwater treatment and provides promise for greywater treatment. This paper presents the preliminary results of a laboratory-scale study undertaken to test the viability of a dual-mode stormwater-greywater biofilter. Forty-eight biofilter columns utilising eight different plant...

An external electron donor is usually included in wastewater and groundwater treatment systems to enhance nitrate removal through denitrification. The choice of electron donor is critical for both satisfactory denitrification rates and sustainable long-term performance. Electron donors that are waste products are preferred to pure organic chemicals...