Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Common Indoor Plants in Improving the Indoor Air Quality of Studio Apartments
People spend most of their time indoors, and prolonged exposure to pollution can harm their health. The degradation of indoor air quality (IAQ) has raised serious issues. Botanical biofilters are an exciting solution for lowering indoor air pollution. However, plants cultivated inside under low ligh...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/11/1863 |
| _version_ | 1797469164196069376 |
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| author | Shambhavi Sharma Ahtesham Bakht Muhammad Jahanzaib Hyunsoo Lee Duckshin Park |
| author_facet | Shambhavi Sharma Ahtesham Bakht Muhammad Jahanzaib Hyunsoo Lee Duckshin Park |
| author_sort | Shambhavi Sharma |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | People spend most of their time indoors, and prolonged exposure to pollution can harm their health. The degradation of indoor air quality (IAQ) has raised serious issues. Botanical biofilters are an exciting solution for lowering indoor air pollution. However, plants cultivated inside under low light intensity (10–50 μmole PAR m<sup>−2</sup> s<sup>−1</sup>) generate CO<sub>2</sub> in the indoor atmosphere. Combining C3 (Calvin Cycle) and Crassulacean Acid metabolism (CAM) plants may be able to address this problem by lowering CO<sub>2</sub> emission levels and enhancing the efficiency of pollution removal by removing the primary indoor air pollutants from actual interior settings, including carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>), formaldehyde (HCHO), particulate matter (PM<sub>2.5</sub> and PM<sub>10</sub>), and total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs). As a result, a successful botanical biofilter made of several plants was researched. Indoor plants can phytoremediate a variety of indoor contaminants. However, just a few studies have demonstrated its efficacy in practical contexts. Due to the harsh winter, apartments in South Korea are frequently closed, necessitating the measurement of interior air pollution concentration in real-time. Four apartments (APT I through APT IV) with various ventilation and indoor plant setups were selected for this investigation. Various combinations of indoor environments (ventilation, low light) and a combination of C3 and CAM indoor plants as a botanical biofilter were used to study the sites over two months. Current research indicates that combining a botanical biofilter with ventilation can reduce levels of CO<sub>2</sub>, TVOCs, HCHO, PM<sub>2.5</sub>, and PM<sub>10</sub> by 76%, 87%, 75%, 52%, and 51%, respectively. The current study concluded that different indoor potted plants provide an effective, affordable, self-regulating, sustainable option for enhancing indoor air quality and, consequently, human well-being and productivity in small, cramped places. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:16:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-db0f528f2854454a97826d887b376a66 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:16:37Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-db0f528f2854454a97826d887b376a662023-11-24T03:43:26ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332022-11-011311186310.3390/atmos13111863Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Common Indoor Plants in Improving the Indoor Air Quality of Studio ApartmentsShambhavi Sharma0Ahtesham Bakht1Muhammad Jahanzaib2Hyunsoo Lee3Duckshin Park4Transportation Environmental Research Team, Korea Railroad Research Institute (KRRI), Uiwang-si 16105, KoreaKumoh National Institute of Technology, Gumi 39177, KoreaTransportation Environmental Research Team, Korea Railroad Research Institute (KRRI), Uiwang-si 16105, KoreaKumoh National Institute of Technology, Gumi 39177, KoreaTransportation Environmental Research Team, Korea Railroad Research Institute (KRRI), Uiwang-si 16105, KoreaPeople spend most of their time indoors, and prolonged exposure to pollution can harm their health. The degradation of indoor air quality (IAQ) has raised serious issues. Botanical biofilters are an exciting solution for lowering indoor air pollution. However, plants cultivated inside under low light intensity (10–50 μmole PAR m<sup>−2</sup> s<sup>−1</sup>) generate CO<sub>2</sub> in the indoor atmosphere. Combining C3 (Calvin Cycle) and Crassulacean Acid metabolism (CAM) plants may be able to address this problem by lowering CO<sub>2</sub> emission levels and enhancing the efficiency of pollution removal by removing the primary indoor air pollutants from actual interior settings, including carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>), formaldehyde (HCHO), particulate matter (PM<sub>2.5</sub> and PM<sub>10</sub>), and total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs). As a result, a successful botanical biofilter made of several plants was researched. Indoor plants can phytoremediate a variety of indoor contaminants. However, just a few studies have demonstrated its efficacy in practical contexts. Due to the harsh winter, apartments in South Korea are frequently closed, necessitating the measurement of interior air pollution concentration in real-time. Four apartments (APT I through APT IV) with various ventilation and indoor plant setups were selected for this investigation. Various combinations of indoor environments (ventilation, low light) and a combination of C3 and CAM indoor plants as a botanical biofilter were used to study the sites over two months. Current research indicates that combining a botanical biofilter with ventilation can reduce levels of CO<sub>2</sub>, TVOCs, HCHO, PM<sub>2.5</sub>, and PM<sub>10</sub> by 76%, 87%, 75%, 52%, and 51%, respectively. The current study concluded that different indoor potted plants provide an effective, affordable, self-regulating, sustainable option for enhancing indoor air quality and, consequently, human well-being and productivity in small, cramped places.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/11/1863phytoremediateindoor air qualityTVOCparticulate matterformaldehydeCO<sub>2</sub> |
| spellingShingle | Shambhavi Sharma Ahtesham Bakht Muhammad Jahanzaib Hyunsoo Lee Duckshin Park Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Common Indoor Plants in Improving the Indoor Air Quality of Studio Apartments Atmosphere phytoremediate indoor air quality TVOC particulate matter formaldehyde CO<sub>2</sub> |
| title | Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Common Indoor Plants in Improving the Indoor Air Quality of Studio Apartments |
| title_full | Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Common Indoor Plants in Improving the Indoor Air Quality of Studio Apartments |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Common Indoor Plants in Improving the Indoor Air Quality of Studio Apartments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Common Indoor Plants in Improving the Indoor Air Quality of Studio Apartments |
| title_short | Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Common Indoor Plants in Improving the Indoor Air Quality of Studio Apartments |
| title_sort | evaluation of the effectiveness of common indoor plants in improving the indoor air quality of studio apartments |
| topic | phytoremediate indoor air quality TVOC particulate matter formaldehyde CO<sub>2</sub> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/11/1863 |
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