Browse > Article
http://dx.doi.org/10.7235/hort.2015.15027

Stabilization of Soil Moisture and Improvement of Indoor Air Quality by a Plant-Biofilter Integration System  

Lee, Chang Hee (Dept. of Horticulture, Hankyong National University)
Choi, Bom (Dept. of Horticulture, Hankyong National University)
Chun, Man Young (Dept. of Environmental Engineering, Hankyong National University)
Publication Information
Horticultural Science & Technology / v.33, no.5, 2015 , pp. 751-762 More about this Journal
Abstract
This study was performed to investigate the stability of soil moisture in controlling air ventilation rate within a horizontal biofilter, and to compare removal efficiency (RE) of indoor air pollutants including fine dust, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and formaldehyde (HCHO), depending on whether dieffenbachias (Diffenbachia amoena) were planted in the biofilter. The relative humidity, air temperature, and soil moisture contents showed stable values, regardless of the presence of D. amoena, and the plants grew normally in the biofilter. REs for number of fine dust particles (PM10 and PM2.5) within the biofilter filled with only soil were at least 30% and 2%, respectively. REs for number of fine dust particles (PM10 and PM2.5) within the biofilter including the plants were above 40% and 4%, respectively. RE for fine dust (PM10) weight was above 4% and 20%, respectively, in the biofilter containing only soil or soil together with plants. In the case of the biofilter filled with only soil, REs for xylene, ethylbenzene, toluene or total VOC (T-VOC) were each more than 63%; however, REs for benzene and formaldehyde (HCHO) were above 22% and 38%, respectively. In the biofilter with the plants, REs for xylene, ethylbenzene, toluene, and T-VOC were each above 72%, and REs for benzene and HCHO were above 39%. Thus, RE of the biofilter integrated with plants was found to be higher for volatile organic compounds than for fine dust. Hence, the biofilter was very effective for indoor air quality improvement and the effect was higher when integrated with plants.
Keywords
air ventilation rate; Diffenbachia amoena; fine dust; green interior; volatile organic compounds;
Citations & Related Records
Times Cited By KSCI : 9  (Citation Analysis)
연도 인용수 순위
1 Darlington, A.B., J.F. Dat, and M.A. Dixon. 2001. The biofiltration of indoor air: air flux and temperature influences the removal of toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene. Environ. Sci. Technol. 35:240-246.   DOI
2 Delhomenie, M.C. and M. Heitz. 2005. Biofiltration of air: a review. Crit. Rev. Biotechnol. 25:53-72.   DOI
3 Delhomenie, M.C., L. Bibeau, J. Gendron, R. Brzezinski, and M. Heitz. 2001. Influence of nitrogen on the degradation of toluene in a compost-based biofilter. J. Chem. Technol. Biotechnol. 76:997-1006.   DOI
4 Delhomenie, M.C., L. Bibeau, N. Bredin, S. Roy, S. Brousseau, J.L. Kugelmass, R. Brzezinski, and M. Heitz. 2002. Biofiltration of air contaminated with toluene on a compost-based bed. Adv. Environ. Res. 6:239-244.   DOI
5 Deshusses, M.A., C.T. Johnson, and G. Leson. 1999. Biofiltration of high loads of ethyl acetate in the presence of toluene. J. Air Waste Manag. Assoc. 49:973-979.   DOI
6 Hong, J., J.S. Lee, and C.H. Pak. 2005. Selection of indigenous plants tolerant to volatile organic compounds and their purifying mechanisms in indoor environment. Kor. J. Hort. Sci. Technol. 23:97-103.
7 Jang, H.S., S.K. Shin, J.H. Song, and S.J. Hwang. 2006. Biodegradation of VOC mixtures using a bioactive foam reactor II. Ksce J. Civ. Eng. 26:695-701.
8 Kennes, C. and F. Thalasso. 1998. Waste gas biotreatment technology. J. Chem. Technol. Biotechnol. 72:303-319.   DOI
9 Kil, M.J., K.J. Kim, J.K. Cho, and C.H. Park. 2008a. Formaldehyde gas removal effects and physiological responses of Fatsia japonica and Epipremnum aureum according to various light intensity. Kor. J. Hort. Sci. Technol. 26:189-196.
10 Arnold, M., A. Reittu, A. Von Wright, P.J. Martikainen, and M.L. Suikho. 1997. Bacterial degradation of styrene in waste gases using a peat filter. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 48:738-744.   DOI
11 Baik, J., E.J. Jang, and C.H. Pak. 2003. Plant stresses of two Araceae foliage plants cultured by hydroculture and plant activity compared with soil culture. Kor. J. Hort. Sci. Technol. 21:341-345.
12 Bang, S.W., J.Y. Kim, J.E. Song, K.J. Kim, and D.H. Kim. 2013. Effect of the bio green wall system for the improvement of indoor environment. J. Korean Soc. People Plants Environ. 16:415-420.   DOI
13 Bea, G.N. and J.H. Ji. 2013. Management policy and control technology for indoor air quality in Korea. J. Korean Soc. Atmos. Environ. 29:378-389.   DOI
14 Cardenas-Gonzalez, B. 1999. Characterization of compost biofilter media. Ph.D. Diss., Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA.
15 Choi, B., M.Y. Chun, and C.H. Lee. 2014. Evaluation for soil moisture stabilization and plant growth response in horizontal biofiltraton system depending on wind speed and initial soil moisture. Korean J. Plant Res. 27:546-555.   DOI
16 Chun, M.Y. and C.H. Lee. 2014. Water supply system for biofilter flowerpot. Patent serial No. 10-1418679.
17 Lee, E.Y., Y.S. Jun, K.S. Cho, and H.W. Ryu. 2002. Degradation characteristics of toluene, benzene, ethylbenzene, and xylene by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia T3-c. J. Air Waste Manag. Assoc. 52:400-406.   DOI
18 Kil, M.J., K.J. Kim, C.H. Pak, H.H. Kim, and Y.W. Lim. 2008b. Effects of growing media and exposure frequency on the volatile formaldehyde removal in potted Epipremnum aureum. Kor. J. Hort. Sci. Technol. 26:325-330.
19 Kim, K.J., M.I. Jung, D.W. Lee, H.D. Kim, E.H. Yoo, S.J. Jung, S.W. Han, and S.Y. Lee. 2009. Water absorption and water diffusion by irrigation system in the planters for indoor plants. J. Korean Soc. People Plant Environ. 12:57-63.
20 Kim, K.J., M.J. Kil, J.S. Song, and E.H. Yoo. 2008. Efficiency of volatile formaldehyde removal by indoor plants: Contribution of aerial plant parts versus the root zone. J. Am. Soc. Hortic. Sci. 133:521-526.
21 Lee, J.H. 2006. System of phyto-filter for removing indoor air pollutants. J. Korean Inst. Inter. Landsc. Archit. 8:9-16.
22 Lee, J.H. and I.S. Joe. 2008. A study on development of biofilter system for removing indoor air pollution used by plants. J. Korean Soc. People Plants Environ. 11:33-46.
23 Lohr, V.I. and C.H. Pearson-Mims. 1996. Particulate matter accumulation on horizontal surfaces in interiors: Influence of foliage plants. Atmos. Environ. 30:2565-2568.   DOI
24 Ministry of Environment (MOE). 2014. Environment white paper. Ministry of Environment, Korea.
25 Mohseni, M. and D.G. Allen. 2000. Biofiltration of mixtures of hydrophilic and hydrophobic volatile organic compounds. Chem. Eng. Sci. 55:1545-1558.   DOI
26 Oh, Y.S., S.C. Choi, and Y.K. Kim. 1998. Degradation of gaseous BTX by biofiltration with Phanerochaete chrysosporium. J. Microbiol. 36:34-38.
27 Morales, M., G. Frere, M.E. Acuna, F. Perez, S. Revah, and R. Auria. 1996. Influence of mixing on the removal rate of toluene vapors by biofiltration. In: Proceedings of the 89th Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the Air & Waste Management Association. June 23-26, 1996. Nashville. Air & Waste Manag. Assoc. Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
28 Myung, S.W., Y.S. Nam, Y.W. Lee, and H.S. Choi. 2003. Removal characteristics of toluene in biofilters packed with reticulated- PU-foams of different porosities. Korean J. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 18:448-454.
29 Nieuwenhuis, M., K. Craig, P. Tom, and S.H. Alexander. 2014. The relative benefits of green versus lean office space: three field experiments. J. Exp. Psychol. 20:119-214.
30 Oh, Y.S., Z. Shareefdeen, B.C. Baltzis, and R. Bartha. 1994. Interactions between benzene, toluene and p-xylene (BTX) during their biodegradation. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 44:533-538.   DOI
31 Ottengraf, S.P.P. 1986. Exhaust gas purification, p. 426-452. In: Biotechnology, a Comprehensive Treatise in 8 Volumes. Rehm, H.J. and G. Reed (eds.). Verlag Chemie. Weinheim, Germany.
32 Park, D.W., S.S. Kim, S. Haam, I.S. Ahn, E.B. Kim, and W.S. Kim. 2002. Biodegradation of toluene by a lab-scale biofilter inoculated with Pseudomonas putida DK-1. Environ. Technol. 23:309-318.   DOI
33 Park, S.A., M.G. Kim, M.H. Yoo, M.M. Oh, and K.C. Son. 2010. Comparison of indoor $CO_2$ removal capability of five foliage plants by photosynthesis. Kor. J. Hort. Sci. Technol. 28:864-870.
34 Smith W.H. and B.J. Staskawicz. 1977. Removal of atmospheric particles by leaves and twigs of urban trees: some preliminary observations and assessment of research needs. Environ. Manage. 1:317-330.   DOI
35 Pedersen, A.R., S. Moller, S. Molin, and E. Arvin. 1997. Activity of toluene-degrading Pseudomonas putida in the early growth phase of a biofilm for waste gas treatment. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 54:131-142.   DOI
36 Sabo, F., U. Motz, and K. Fisher. 1993. Development and testing of high efficiency biofilters. In: Proceedings of the 89th Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the Air & Waste Management Association. June 13-18, 1993. Denver. Air & Waste Manag. Assoc. Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
37 Saebo, A., R. Popek, B. Nawrot, H.M. Hanslin, H. Gawronska, and S.W. Gawronski. 2012. Plant species differences in particulate matter accumulation on leaf surfaces. Sci. Total Environ. 427:347-354.
38 Sohn, J.R., M.B. Jang, and K.M. Cho. 2004. The characteristics of biodegradation for VOCs in unsaturated soil by bio-filter. Korean J. Sanit. 19:19-24.
39 Song, J.E., S.W. Han, Y.S. Kim, and J.Y. Sohn. 2005. The effect of phytofiltration system on the improvement of indoor air quality. Kieae J. 5:3-8.
40 Swanson, W.J. and R.C. Loehr. 1997. Biofiltration: fundamentals, design and operations principles, and applications. J. Environ. Eng. 123:538-546.   DOI
41 Thompson, D., L. Sterne, J. Bell, W. Parker, and A. Lye. 1996. Pilot scale investigation of sustainable BTEX removal with a compost biofilter. In: Proceedings of the 89th Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the Air & Waste Management Association. June 23-26, 1996. Nashville. Air & Waste Manag. Assoc. Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
42 Yang, D.S., S.V. Pennisi, K.C. Son, and S.J. Kays. 2009. Screening indoor plants for volatile organic pollutant removal efficiency. HortScience 44:1377-1381.
43 Weber, F., I. Kowarik, and I. Saumel. 2014. Herbaceous plants as filters: Immobilization of particulates along urban street corridors. Environ. Pollut. 186:234-240.   DOI
44 Veiga, M.C., M. Fraga, L. Amor, and C. Kennes. 1999. Biofilter performance and characterization of a biocatalyst degrading alkyl benzene gases. Biodegradation 10:169-176.   DOI