The Role of Bioretention Plant on Nutrient Removal of Stormwater Runoff

Abstract Stormwater pollutants are one of the main problems causing environmental damage. The accumulated pollutants on urban impervious surfaces are carried by stormwater runoff and enter water bodies, therefore, caused ecological damage. To decrease the pollution effect of stormwater, best management practices (BMP), and low–impact development (LID) principles were introduced. Bioretention technology as one of these practices has been used to control stormwater quality. This technology stills not widely used in Malaysia. However, the design of bioretention system that used in Malaysia follows a conventional design and stills in the early stage. Therefore, this paper reviews the role of plants and their effect on bioretention performance in terms of nutrient removal. Bioretention system that vegetated with the plant was very effective on nutrient removal than without plant. In Malaysia, there is a need to develop the conventional bioretention system. Applying multispecies plant in bioretention system would be more effective on nutrient removal. However, limited studies have been conducted on the types of plant that are suggested in (MSMA). This paper recommends applying multispecies plant (mixture plants) to enhance the performance of conventional bioretention system in terms of nutrient removal.