Duration: 10.2024 – 9.2025

---

Project team:

Dr. rer. nat. Sajjad Abdighahroudi | Marcel Reusing
FB 13, IWAR – Environmental Analytics and Pollutants

Dr. Nils Michelsen
FB 11, Institute of Applied Geosciences

---

Project description:

In many regions, it is of utmost importance to harvest excess water during precipitation events to alleviate water scarcity in dry periods, as a simple but powerful strategy for adapting to climate change in urban areas. The recovered water can then be used to flush toilets or for irrigation and cooling purposes, so drinking water can be substituted and thus saved. Yet, runoff water can be contaminated after contact with urban surfaces (streets, building materials).

Hence, the project’s objective is to study the water quality of stormwater runoff from roofs and streets. In particular, the project will investigate problematic inorganic as well as (polar and mobile) organic compounds and their transformation products in runoff harvested for groundwater recharge. Analyses of runoff samples will be complemented by leaching experiments with roof materials. The role of weather conditions (temperature, rain frequency) in contaminant mobilization will be considered in these studies. A thorough understanding of the occurrence and fate of trace pollutants in runoff is vital for tailoring innovative enhanced green infrastructure.