Laura A Wendling

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland | vtt · Smart Built Environment

Nature-based solutions and similar natural water retention measures to manage urban runoff are often implemented by cities in order to reduce runoff peaks, catch pollutants, and improve sustainability. However, the performance of these stormwater management solutions is relatively rarely assessed in detail prior to their construction, or monitored...

In light of global climate change and the biodiversity crisis, making cities more resilient through an adjusted design of urban green and blue spaces is crucial. Nature‐based solutions help address these challenges while providing opportunities for nature experiences, and providing cultural ecosystem services that support public health. The COVID‐1...

The European Union (EU) has firmly positioned itself as a global leader in promoting and implementing nature-based solutions (NBS). The recently released EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change, and Forest Strategy - all representing key pillars of the ambitious European Green Deal (EGD) - rely on NBS to both pre...

Urban Living Labs (ULLs) are widely believed to provide a safe environment for experimentation, co-creation and evaluation of innovations in real-life settings. A growing number of cities have been adopting ULLs to co-create and test Nature-Based Solutions (NBS). However, many of these cities have been facing major barriers in trying to adopt the U...

The present publication provides a high-level summary of the detailed information available in Evaluating the Impact of Nature-Based Solutions: A Handbook for Practitioners. The handbook aims to provide practitioners with a comprehensive impact assessment framework for nature-based solutions and a robust set of indi-cators to assess the impacts of...

The Handbook aims to provide decision-makers with a comprehensive NBS impact assessment framework, and a robust set of indicators and methodologies to assess impacts of nature-based solutions across 12 societal challenge areas: Climate Resilience; Water Management; Natural and Climate Hazards; Green Space Management; Biodiversity; Air Quality; Plac...

Urban expansion and densification brings both opportunities and challenges. Regeneration of urban areas is therefore a significant priority, which needs to take into account environmental quality, social justice and sustainable development. Transforming cities and regions into vibrant, sustainable and resilient living places has become a key global...

Evaluating the Impact of Nature-based Solutions: Appendix of Methods is a compilation of methods of determination for indicators of NBS performance and impact. Experts in a wide variety of disciplines from eighteen EU H2020 NBS projects and a number of supporting European programmes were directly involved in the production of this Appendix of Metho...

This chapter introduces 12 categories of societal challenges that NBS can address (Section 4.1). These are conceptually mapped against the UN Sustainable Development Goals. For each of the 12 societal challenge areas, Section 4.2 outlines and lists indicators to evaluate the performance and impact of NBS. It reviews the different types of NBS, give...

Selecting appropriate indicators of NBS performance and impact can be challenging, and is context-dependent. In this chapter, we present case studies from a variety of NBS demonstrations across Europe and Asia that illustrate the application of the NBS indicators and methods presented in Chapter 4 and thoroughly described in Evaluating the Impact o...

The applicability of steam activated pine and spruce bark biochar for storm water and wastewater purification has been investigated. Biochar samples produced from the bark of scots pine (Pinus sylvestrus) and spruce (Picea spp.) by conventional slow pyrolysis at 475 °C were steam activated at 800 °C. Steam activation was selected as a relatively in...

Urban areas increasingly face the challenge of effectively managing water resources to minimize both flooding and freshwater scarcity. Hydrometeorological consequences of climate change exacerbate the effects of surface sealing and increased runoff in urban areas, the overexploitation of available water resources, water pollution, and aging infrast...

Climate change and urbanization have resulted in several societal challenges for urban areas. Nature-based solutions (NBS) have been positioned as solutions for enhancing urban resilience in the face of these challenges. However, the body of conceptual and practical knowledge regarding NBS remains fragmented. This study addresses this gap by means...

Phosphorus and uranium are both vital elements for society. In recent decades, fears have arisen about the future availability of low-cost phosphorus and uranium. This has resulted in pressure to de-centralize production of both elements by utilizing lower-grade or complex deposits. The research presented here focused on phosphorus-containing apati...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of combined modular processes to selectively remove Sb from mine-impacted waters in an Arctic environment in order to fulfil local environmental criteria for discharged waters. Novel ion exchange, selective extraction and ultrafiltration, electrocoagulation, and dissolved air flotation tec...

Roadside filters can be used to treat polluted stormwater. In this study, sand and sand-biochar filters were investigated in full-scale field conditions during three rain events. Stormwater influent and effluent of the filters were sampled with high frequency and up to 29 water quality parameters were determined. The obtained field data was analyze...

The overall objectives of urban stormwater management are appropriate drainage to minimize urban flood risk and erosion, and protection of groundwater and surface water quality. Urban systems of green infrastructure such as rain gardens, green roofs, permeable pavements, swales, wetlands, and other designed to reduce stormwater surface runoff volume...

Increasing global urbanization yields substantial potential for enhanced sustainability through careful management of urban development and optimized resource use efficiency. Nature-based solutions (NBS) can provide a means for cities to successfully navigate the water-energy-climate relationship, thus enhancing urban resilience. Implementation of...

Australian native species grow competitively in nutrient limited environments, particularly in nitrogen (N) limited soils; however, the mechanism that enables this is poorly understood. Biological nitrification inhibition (BNI), which is the release of root exudates into the plant rhizosphere to inhibit the nitrification process, is a hypothesized...

Analytical results of soil-inhibitor incubation assay over time Recorded measurements of NO2-N and NOx to determine the level of nitrification activity. Measurements were taken over 0–24 h.

Plant growth monitoring Growth of the major stem of plant over 42 days. Measurements taken from the main stem at the highest node to the beginning of the root system.

Biomass data Biomass data after 42 days of growth in nutrient solution culture. Table shows the mean wet and dry mass, and the mean moisture content, of each plant species.

Plant root growth Growth of the root system over 42 days. Measurements taken from the tip of the longest root to the initiation of the root system from the stem. Data here is not indicative of total growth, refer to Table S1 for biomass data.

Analytical results of exudate analysis for organic acids High liquid performance chromatography, using ultra-violet was used to determine the presence and concentration of organic acids in a sub-sample of root exudates. Raw results are presented in a table.

Pollution in urban environments has raised concerns about the consumer safety of food produced by urban horticulture. Could a solid by-product of drinking water treatment provide the answer? Soil amendment with drinking water treatment residuals (DWTRs) has been shown to limit the uptake of metal contaminants, effectively immobilizing these element...

Safeguarding the water quality of Poyang Lake, China’s largest freshwater lake, is essential for long-term regional water resource sustainability. The use of locally-available mineral processing residues as reactive substrate in engineered wetlands may provide a cost-effective treatment alternative for mixed agricultural and domestic wastewaters en...

PurposeChlorpyrifos can be effectively adsorbed by drinking water treatment residuals (WTR), ubiquitous and non-hazardous by-products of potable water production. The major metabolite 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP) was found to be much more mobile and toxic than its parent chlorpyrifos. To assess the feasibility of WTR amendment for attenuation...

Drinking water treatment residue (DWTR) is commonly regarded as a waste product of drinking water treatment plant, which is disposed to sewer or to landfill, with associated financial and environmental costs. Fortunately, the beneficial recycle of DWTR in environmental remediation has been demonstrated in many reports. However, the lack of informat...

There is a tendency for lecture-based instruction in large introductory science courses to strongly focus on the delivery of discipline-specific technical terminology and fundamental concepts, sometimes to the detriment of opportunities for application of learned knowledge in evidence-based critical-thinking activities. We sought to improve student...

Fe/Al drinking water treatment residuals (WTRs), ubiquitous and non-hazardous by-products of drinking water purification, are cost-effective adsorbents for glyphosate. Given that repeated glyphosate applications could significantly decrease glyphosate retention by soils and that the adsorbed glyphosate is potentially mobile, high sorption capacity...

Nitrogen released from explosives or from mining processes and ending up in the water system can have negative environmental effects. The report aims for improved understanding on the nitrogen issue in the extractive industry. Essential data on nitrogen compounds present in the environments of mines and quarries has been collected, and based on the...

Nitrogen released to the mining waters e.g. from incomplete detonation of explosives or nitrogen containing chemicals is a potential environmental risk. Nitrogen compounds can be dangerous for aquatic organisms or cause eutrophication in receiving waterways. Nitrogen chemistry is complex, allowing numerous chemical and biological reaction paths and...

Many technologies currently available for nitrogen removal are not suitable for the treatment of mine and quarry wastewaters containing nitrogenous compounds, particularly in cold environments, due to high treatment costs or stringent operating parameters. A combination of geochemical sorption and electrochemical techniques is potentially most suit...

Currently known high grade easily-acquirable phosphate rock reserves are depleting. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential application of bioleaching technology to the recovery of phosphorus from different phosphate ore materials, and isolate indigenous phosphorus-solubilising bacterial strains from them. In the bacterial enrichm...

Recycling of drinking water treatment residuals (WTRs) as environment amendments has attracted substantial interest due to their productive reuse concomitant with waste minimization. In the present study, the extractability of metals within six Al/Fe-hydroxide-comprised WTRs collected throughout China was investigated using fractionation, in vitro...

Drinking water treatment residuals (WTRs), non-hazardous by-products generated during treatment of drinking water, can be reused to immobilize phosphorus (P) in sediments for eutrophication control. Prior to application, it is necessary to determine the treatment dosage of WTR to immobilize P in sediments. In the present study, the dosage of Al/Fe...

Recovery and re-use of P within hitherto unexploited waste streams may serve to reduce pressure on limited phosphate rock reserves. Since the mid-20th century there has been a dramatic increase in the use of mined phosphate rock for food production. Although economically exploitable quantities of phosphate rock are found in several countries, food...

Prior to the productive use of iron- and steel-making slags as environmental amendments, a risk assessment supported by material characterization concomitant with leaching and ecotoxicological testing is necessary. Five iron- and steel-making slags were characterized geochemically and the leachability of their elemental constituents assessed. The t...

Recent efforts have increasingly focused on the development of low-cost adsorbents for pesticide retention. In this work, the novel reuse of drinking water treatment residuals (WTRs), a non-hazardous ubiquitous by-product, as an adsorbent for chlorpyrifos was investigated. Results showed that the kinetics and isothermal processes of chlorpyrifos so...

Thorough examination of the physico-chemical characteristics of a Ti processing residue was undertaken including mineralogical, geochemical, and radiochemical characterisation, and an investigation of the environmental toxicity of softwater leachate generated from the residue. Concentrations of most metals measured in the leachate were low; thus, t...

This study investigated the sorption-desorption behaviour of four pesticides by a by-product from mineral sand mining, commonly referred to as neutralised used acid (NUA). In batch studies the average amount of pesticide removed after 6h was 69% for atrazine, 89% for diuron, 61% for 2,4-D and 83% for chlorpyrifos. The lower sorption of 2,4-D to NUA...

Attenuation of excess nutrients in wastewater and stormwater is required to safeguard aquatic ecosystems. The use of low-cost, mineral-based industrial by-products with high Ca, Mg, Fe or Al content as a solid phase in constructed wetlands potentially offers a cost-effective wastewater treatment option in areas without centralised water treatment f...

This study investigates the use of a mineral processing by-product, neutralized used acid (NUA), primarily composed of gypsum and Fe-oxyhydroxide, as a soil amendment. A 1489-d turf farm field trial assessed nutrient, trace element, and radionuclide mobility of a soil amended with ∼5% by mass to a depth of 15 cm of NUA. Average PO-P fluxes collecte...

Winter wheat – summer fallow is the crop rotation used on more than 1.5 million ha in the Pacific Northwest United States. Land maintained using conventional summer fallow is susceptible to wind erosion because multiple tillage operations during the fallow period expose the soil to high winds. Alternative management strategies are needed that prote...

Geochemical and mineralogical characterisation of steel-making by-products is essential to understand their long-term behaviour and their potential use as environmental amendments or construction materials. A steel-making by-product generated in Western Australia from iron ore smelting, HIsmelt, has been extensively characterised in terms of its ma...

Excess nutrient input to water bodies frequently results in algal blooms and development of oxygen deficient conditions. Mining or metallurgical by-products can potentially be utilised as filtration media within water treatment systems such as constructed wetlands, permeable reactive barriers, or drain liners. These materials may offer a cost-effec...

An assessment of hydrotalcite formation to neutralize acidity and remove trace elements was undertaken using barren lixiviant from Heathgate Resources’ Beverley in situ recovery uranium mine in South Australia. Batchscale studies demonstrated proof of concept for neutralization of acidity using MgO + NaAlO2 with concomitant removal of a range of tr...

Fugitive dust emission from agricultural soils is a concern in the U. S. Inland Pacific Northwest because emission of particles with an aerodynamic diameter <= 10 mu m (PM10) and <= 2.5 mu m (PM2.5) are regulated by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as air pollutants. The objective of this study was to characterize the PM10 and PM2.5...

The speciation and distribution of Co in soils is poorly understood. This study was conducted using x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) techniques to examine the influence of soluble cobalt in the +2 oxidation state (Co[II]) aging, submergence-dried cycling, and the presence of in vivo rice roots on the speciation and distribution of added Co(II) i...

The four year joint project between CSIRO and the Western Australian Department of Water-based Water Foundation, investigated the characteristics of a range of mining industry by-products, which are currently unused, to determine whether they could instead be productively applied as high volume, low-cost environmental amendments. CSIRO project lead...

A series of analyses were conducted to characterise neutralized acid residue from the synthetic rutile industry. Column sorption experiments were conducted to investigate the attenuation of DOC and nutrients in wastewater using neutralized acid residue. After 145 days, DOC, TP, PO4-P, TN, NH3-N, NOx-N and DON in neutralized acid residue/sand column...

Winter wheat–summer fallow is the conventional crop rotation used on more than 1.5 million ha of agricultural land in the low precipitation zone of the Columbia Plateau in the Pacific Northwest United States. This land is very susceptible to wind erosion during summer fallow because multiple tillage operations during fallow degrade and expose the s...

Process water from the Ranger Uranium Mine requires treatment to meet stringent environmental water quality criteria. The acidic water contains substantial SO4, metals, and U. One novel treatment method under consideration is the use of Na-aluminate to both neutralise the process water and precipitate hydrotalcites. Hydrotalcites are a class of Mg–...

A series analyses have been done to character neutralised acid residue form synthetic rutile industry. Column sorption experiments have been conducted to investigate the attenuation of DOC and nutrients in polluted water using neutralised acid residue form synthetic rutile industry. After 145 d, DOC, TP, PO4-P, TN, NH3-N, NOx-N and DON in neutralis...

Nonfungicidal effects of agricultural fungicides on crop plants have been reported previously; however, there are few reports of nontarget effects of fungicides on weedy species. Field research trials in Oregon demonstrated that the growth of several broadleaf weeds was reduced after multiple applications of the fungicide propiconazole. Greenhouse...

Aging processes in soils can significantly affect the potential biological availability of introduced metals via incorporation into crystal lattices, diffusion into micropores, or formation of metal precipitates on the surfaces of soil minerals. Over time, metals in contact with the soil solid phase are less freely exchangeable with the soil soluti...

Process water from ERA's Ranger Uranium Mine (Northern Territory, Australia) requires treatment to meet stringent environmental water quality criteria prior to discharge into the environment. Prior to treatment, the process water is acidic and contains high concentrations of sulfates, aluminium, magnesium and manganese in addition to residual urani...

Metal toxicity to terrestrial organisms is influenced by a number of factors including the organisms affected and ecotoxicological end points, soil properties, aging processes, and metal speciation. The toxicity of metals added to soils can change over time through aging processes, which may reduce availability of metals via diffusion into micropor...

The environmental risk posed by Co contamination is largely a function of its oxidation state. Our objective was to assess the potential biological availability of Co and the reactions and fate of soluble Co(II) after addition to soils with varying physical and chemical characteristics. A potential risk in quantifying exchangeable Co in soils using...

Winter wheat-summer fallow is the conventional cropping system employed on >1·5 million ha within the Columbia Plateau of eastern Washington and northern Oregon. Wind erosion contributes to poor air quality in the region, yet little is known concerning the magnitude of soil and PM10 (particulate matter of < or = 10 micrometer in aerodynamic diamete...

Physical and chemical weathering processes in the rhizosphere may lead to the generation of a greater density of Cs-selective frayed edge sites (FES) on rhizosphere soil as compared with bulk soil. This study was undertaken to determine if there are significant differences between bulk and rhizosphere soils from the Idaho National Laboratory (INL)...

Biogeochemical processes in the rhizosphere can significantly alter interactions between contaminants and soil minerals. In this study, several strains of bacteria that exude aluminum (Al)-chelating compounds were isolated from the rhizosphere of crested wheatgrass (Agropyron desertorum) collected from the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). We examin...

Cesium uptake by plants depends on adsorption/desorption reactions in the soil, as well as root uptake processes controlled by the plant. In this study, sorption and desorption of Cs+ on reference illite (IMt-1) was investigated in the presence of oxalate to gain understanding of mechanisms by which plant root exudates may influence Cs+ bioavailabi...

Hydrotalcites are a class of Mg-Al layered double hydroxide minerals with the ideal 3:1 Mg:Al endmember chemical composition Mg 6 Al 2 (A)(OH) 16 .n(H 2 O) (A = CO 3 2-, SO 4 2-, Cl -, etc). Hydrotalcites may occur naturally and are a common secondary mineral formed in soils during natural attenuation of acidic, metal-laden contaminated sites. Many...

Biogeochemical processes in the rhizosphere can significantly alter chemical reactions between contaminants and soil minerals. Several strains of bacteria that exude aluminum-chelating compounds were isolated from the rhizosphere of crested wheatgrass (Agropyron desertorum) collected from the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory...