• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.417-423
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• 2006

The purification ability of indoor plants for volatile organic compounds was investigated. Philodendron selloum and Spathiphyllum sp. were tested for removal of toluene and trichloroethylene in the artificially contaminated reactor under laboratory conditions. Each plant was placed in right side of the reactor and the TCE and toluene concentration change with time were monitored. In the reactor with Philodendron, the TCE concentrations of left and right sides were compared to examine the removal effects by plant. In the reactor with Spathiphyllum, air was circulated before sampling, and thus average removal effects by plants on target VOC were observed. Both plants showed clear effects on removal of VOCs from contaminated indoor air. The removal efficiency of Philodendron and Spathiphyllum were similar and showed 30 - 46% and 31 - 47% of purification effects, respectively. The results of this study showed that air purification using plants is an effective means of reduction on indoor VOCs concentration level and reduce related health risk though, supplementary purifying aids or proper ventilation were also suggested.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.197-202
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• 2007

Formaldehyde is a typical indoor air pollutant that has numerous adverse health problems in modern living conditions. Phytoremediation that use plants to remove contaminants from polluted media can be applied to improve indoor air quality. Two sets of experiments; 1) two rooms in newly built auditorium and 2) a bed room in 2-year-old apartment; were performed to investigate plant effects on indoor formaldehyde concentration. It was observed from the experiments that plant can help decontaminating formaldehyde at low concentration level (0.1 ppm) but the effects decreased considerably at hish concentration (1ppm). The purification effects of indoor plant also showed the periodic pattern due to its physiological activity. More purification was observed as increasing plant density in the bed room but the formaldehyde concentration returned the original concentration level in two days after removing plants. It was suggested from the results that air purification using plants is an effective means of reduction on indoor formaldehyde level, though, reduction of source is highly desirable when the concentration level is high. The results also suggest that introducing supplementary purifying aids and/or efficient ventilation could be considered due to periodic removal pattern of plant.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.147-155
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• 2005

This study was designed to investigate the effect of plant as a botanical air purification on the indoor pollution by formaldehyde. Three indoor plants such as Dracaena marhginata, Spathiphyllum and Dracaena reflexa, were placed in the artificially contaminated reactor under laboratory condition. Both plant and soil effects on removal of formaldehyde from contaminated indoor air were observed. Reductions in the formaldehyde levels appeared to have been associated with soil medium factors as well as plant factors. The effect of soil on formaldehyde reduction was high in the early stage of the experiment and the results suggest that sorption could be more important factor than microbial degradation in the initial dissipation of contaminants in the soil. It was suggested that the effect of plant on formaldehyde reduction might be related to the plant species, total leaf surface area of plant, degree of contribution of soil medium, and exposed concentration level. The results of this study showed that air purification using plants is an effective means of reduction on indoor formaldehyde level, though, utilization of soil media with high sorption capacity and/or supplementary purifying aids were also suggested when the source is continuous or exposed concentration level is high.

• Journal of the Institute of Convergence Signal Processing
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.167-173
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• 2018

We propose an air purification system that utilizes aerial plant parts and root zone of indoor plants where light is insufficient and air circulation is bad. In order to maximize the air purification effect of the plant, the aerial plant parts illuminates mixed light combining blue and green LED and CRI(Color Rendering Index) LEDs close to natural light, respectively. And the root zone was forcibly circulated by the fan to use the soil as a filter. The indoor air purification system combined with the light source and the fan removed most polluted air in the shortest. In the case of mixed light and CRI LEDs of indoor air purification system, fine dust decreased by 14%, 14.2%, and TVOC(Total volatile organic compounds) decreased by 7.5% and 9.4%, respectively. In the experiment in which the fan was operated for 15 minutes, the TVOC decreased to 97.8%. The photosynthesis of the plant and the use of soil as a filter were able to purify polluted air in a short time. And the fan's temporary operation gave the similar effect of continuous operation.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.217-234
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• 2017

Indoor air pollutants can cause severe health problems, specifically in terms of toxicological impacts on human. Every day, a complex mixture of many air pollutants is emitted from various sources and subject to atmospheric processes that can create varied classes of pollutants such as carboxylic acids, aldehydes, ketones, peroxyacetyl nitrate, and hydrocarbons. To adhere to indoor air quality standards, a number of techniques such as photocatalytic oxidation of various volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been employed. Among these techniques, titania ($TiO_2$) based photocatalytic reactions have proven to be the best benchmark standard approach in the field of environmental applications. Over the last 45 years, $TiO_2$-based photocatalytic reactions have been explored for the degradation of various pollutants. This review discusses the indoor air quality profile, types of indoor pollutants, available indoor air cleaning approaches, and performance of $TiO_2$-based catalysts. Finally, we have presented the perspectives on the progress of $TiO_2$ induced photocatalysis for the purification of indoor air.

• KIEAE Journal
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.3-10
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• 2005

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is recognized as a byproduct of industrialization that took place in the 20th century. The great attention to IAQ has been gained since 1980s, and led to numerous research studies that have mainly made in the developed countries. As the development of residential environment in Korea enters in the process of qualitative growth, IAQ has viewed as one of the core issues in the society, and research in relation to IAQ has been implemented until now in the fields of engineering and medical science. It is widely known that the sources and effects of indoor air pollution have been various, and IAQ research with multidisciplinary approaches is required. Nevertheless, few research embedded into a socio-behavioral approach to identifying interventive measures of residents and analyzing their choices is made. The purpose of this study is to examine the use of an interactive measure of residents in apartments that is air purification with phytoncide available in the market, and to investigate their self-reported effects of the air purifying substance on sick building syndrome symptoms. This study utilizes a field experiment design with pre-test and post-test, and the experiment is conducted in a natural field setting. A total of 87 test subjects from 32 households with already sick building syndrome are drawn via internet, and the participation is solely voluntary. The participants receive and use the air purifying substance, and are asked to use it continuously for two weeks and identify their self-reported symptoms of before- and after-use. The research findings indicate that air purification using phytoncide is effective to alleviate their symptoms in relation to sick building syndrome. Also it is noted that the participants report that the use of the air purification causes the positive impacts on their daily life. Further research is needed that compares the group with only humidifier and evaluates the mid-term and long-term use of the air purification and its effects.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.137-146
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• 2012

Poor indoor air quality is now worldwide concern due to its adverse impacts on our health and environment. Moreover, these impacts carry a significant burden to the economy. Various technical approaches (e.g., biological, activated carbon fiber (ACF), photocatlytic oxidation (PCO), etc.) have gained popularity in controlling indoor volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This is because removing indoor VOC sources or increasing ventilation rates is often not feasible or economical. This review provides an overview of the various air purification technologies used widely to improve indoor air quality. Although most of these technologies are very useful to remove indoor VOCs, there is no single fully satisfactory method due to their diversity and presence at the low concentration. To achieve technical innovations and the development of specific testing protocols, one should possess a better knowledge on the mechanisms of substrate uptake at VOC concentrations.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.143-149
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to propose a management method to maintain the pleasant indoor air quality of the dental clinic by measuring and analyzing the indoor air quality of the dental clinic. The measurement was conducted in two rooms, a lobby where many residents stay in the reception room for waiting for medical treatment, and a VIP room where treatment activities are mainly performed. Measurement items are Temperature, Humidity, $CO_2$, CO, $NO_2$, $CH_2O$, VOC, $PM_{10}$ and measurement were taken on April 27, 2018. As a result of analyzing the temperature and humidity of the dental clinic, it was analyzed that the average indoor temperature was maintained at $25^{\circ}C$ and the humidity was kept at around 50%, maintaining proper indoor temperature and humidity environment. $CO_2$ was 855ppm in the VIP Room, which satisfied the maintenance standard. In the case of the lobby, it was analyzed to be 1,160ppm, which exceeded the maintenance standard and it is judged that the carbon dioxide generated by the respiration of the people staying in the lobby is the main reason. The mean concentration of formaldehyde in the VIP room was analyzed as $436{\mu}g/m^3$, exceeding the maintenance standard, and $2,100{\mu}g/m^3$ for the VOC exceeded the recommended standard. It was analyzed that the concentration was relatively higher due to the use of disinfectant and other drugs. The mean concentration of PM-10 in the lobby was analyzed as $65{\mu}g/m^3$ and it was analyzed that it satisfied the maintenance standard. To maintain a pleasant indoor air quality in a dental clinic it is necessary to minimize the effects of formaldehyde, VOC, $CO_2$ in the VIP rooms and lobby. For this purpose, the entire ventilation system and air purification system of the dental clinic should be installed. In case of the VIP room, local exhaust ventilation should be installed and workers should wear personal protective equipment.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Illuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.31-36
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• 2016

For the purpose of indoor air purification, air conditioner or purifier is generally used, but the long operating time induced the contamination by cumulation of bacteria in the air filter. The ozone sterilization method can be one of the effective sterilization method for this case. Ozone has not leave a secondary residual contaminants, as well as a strong sterilization power. In this study, nonthermal plasma technology is investigated as an ozone generator for the air filter sterilization. Additionally, nonthermal plasma technology is possible to obtain the generation of negative ions and electrostatic force by simply adjusting the applied voltage.

• KIEAE Journal
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.53-58
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• 2008

With architectural technology, a building has been a far dense and close. So the thermal environment of the building has become pleasant, but the quality of indoor air has been degraded. Using synthetic products for construction materials and furniture indoors escalates the concentration of volatile organic compounds(VOCs) at indoor air, threatening the health of the residents. To reduce the concentration of volatile organic compounds at indoor air, many methods are designed, and of late, concern has been increased about the effect of air purification using air purifying plants. Field measurements were performed using Aglaonema brevispathum, Pachira aquatica and Ficus benjamiana, which were verified as air-purifying plants by NASA. The effect of reducing the concentration of air contaminants by plant studied in a full scale mock-up model. The variations of concentration of Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Formaldehyde were monitored. In most cases, the effect was excellent in Toluene and formaldehyde in summer.