Self fertilising geotextiles in model pervious pavement structures

Geotextiles incorporating inorganic nutrients (particularly phosphorous) to enhance the growth of oil degrading microoganisms when geotextiles are used in pervious pavement applications have been shown to be effective in the past. However the cost and manufacturing difficulties have been a barrier to their use. A polypropylene random mat geotextile incorporating an alternative polymer additive as a source of phosphorous has been investigated as a potential self-fertilizing geotextile. Ongoing experiments are reported which illustrate the capability of the textile to support biodegradation and to encourage rapid recovery of activity after a period of oil starvation. The results from this study further highlight the importance of availability of inorganic nutrients in the biodegradation process and optimization of the effectiveness of the pervious pavement system for pollution control.