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Brief summary |
This project will assess the technical, environmental and commercial potential of using green and food based composts as part of a Prefabricated Vegetated Component (PVC) for use in a SUDS component such as a swale. It builds on work already carried out at Coventry University to assess the pollution mitigation abilities of various grass types recommended for use in vegetated SUDS component, but will trial the use of compost as a substitute for standard top soil.
The construction of swales and filter strips usually requires careful excavation and the import of topsoil before grass seeds are broadcast or turf is laid. Compost could be used in place of the topsoil, but it is not known whether it has the same pollution mitigation abilities as topsoil. The proposal is to analyse the geochemical properties of the compost, test its’ remediation properties using Coventry Street Dust (CSD) which is currently being used in studies of topsoil and commercial garden centre compost at Coventry University and then field trial a small scale PVC at the Sports Turf Research Institute’s centre in Yorkshire to assess its efficacy in a swale. |
Start date |
April 2009 |
Finish date |
31 March 2011 |
Organisations involved |
WRAP; SUDS Applied Research Group, Coventry University |
Contact |
Dr Susanne Charlesworth, Coventry University |
URL |
http://www.coventry.ac.uk/cu/bes/gedm/staff/a/1412 |