Summary of bioretention water quality cleansing mechanisms for common stormwater pollutants Summary of bioretention water quality cleansing mechanisms for common stormwater pollutants

Summary of bioretention water quality cleansing mechanisms for common stormwater pollutants.
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Pollutant	Bioretention cleansing mechanism
Total suspended solids	Sedimentation and filtration (e.g. Davis et al., 2009)
Metals	Filtration of particulate metals, sorption of dissolved metals into mulch layer (e.g. Davis et al, 2009), plant uptake (e.g. Toronto and Region Conservation, 2009)
Nitrogen	Sorption; uptake by microbes and plant material, uptake into recalcitrant soil organic matter (e.g. Henderson, 2008)
Phosphorus	Sorption, precipitation, plant uptake, uptake into recalcitrant soil organic matter (e.g. Henderson, 2008)
Pathogens	Filtration, UV light, competition for limited nutrients, predation by protozoa and bacterial predators (e.g. Zhang et al., 2010)
Hydrocarbons	Filtration and sorption to organic matter and humic acids, then degraded by soil microbes (e.g. Hong et al., 2006)