Mixed media biologically active filter for treating urban stormwater runoff
A mixed media biologically active filter (BAF) that uses granular activated carbon with iron and manganese oxide coatings to remove nitrogen, phosphorus, organic carbon, and metal contaminants from urban stormwater. Designed for subsurface deployment in four-season climates, the system reduces biofilm overgrowth and eliminates the need for backwashing, offering a sustainable long-term stormwater management solution.
Overview
Urban stormwater runoff carries nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as metals and other contaminants, that degrade water quality in receiving waterways. This mixed media biologically active filter (BAF) addresses these pollutants in a single treatment process by combining granular activated carbon (GAC) with iron and manganese oxide coatings. The result is a subsurface filtration system that sequesters nutrients and metals simultaneously, making it an attractive long-term solution for managing urban stormwater.
Technical specifications
Key features:
- Biologically active filtration process effective for nitrogen and phosphorus removal from urban stormwater
- Granular activated carbon support media combined with iron and manganese oxide coatings to capture metals and additional contaminants
- Mixed media configuration designed to treat nutrients, organic carbon, and metal contaminants in a single unit
- Subsurface deployment intended to limit excessive biofilm growth in four-season climates
- Continuous-flow column design with sampling ports at multiple depths for influent, effluent, and intermediate monitoring
- Coating characterization covering efficiency, durability, surface area, porosity, surface charge distribution, and pore size distribution
- Operates without routine backwashing under typical seasonal conditions
Technology readiness level
The underlying GAC BAF technology has been validated through continuous-flow laboratory column studies run for over three years, demonstrating consistent and sustainable removal of contaminants of emerging concern in source water for a drinking water treatment plant. The iron and manganese oxide coating expertise is established through prior work on microporous coatings for metal contaminant treatment. The next stage involves bench-scale column experiments using GAC provided by an industry collaborator, combined with newly developed Fe and Mn oxide coated GAC, to validate nutrient and metal removal performance in a stormwater treatment configuration.
About New Jersey Institute of Technology
NJIT is a public polytechnic research university (Carnegie R1) in Newark, serving the New York–New Jersey innovation corridor. Industry engages on campus through VentureLink, the university’s startup incubator in University Heights Science Park and the Newark Innovation Zone, and via a large makerspace that supports prototyping for external partners. The New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII), a corporation of NJIT, provides an industry‑facing gateway, including a venture‑studio model launched with the state’s economic‑development authority, to speed translation and scale. Research is backed by competitive federal funding from agencies such as NSF, NIH, DOE and DoD. An Intellectual Property and Technology Licensing Office manages IP, licensing and startup formation alongside NJII and VentureLink.
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