Screening of Particulate Matter Reduction Ability of 21 Indigenous Korean Evergreen Species for Indoor Use

Bo-Kook Jang, Kyungtae Park, Sang Yeob Lee, Hamin Lee, Soo Ho Yeon, Boran Ji, Cheol Hee Lee and Ju-Sung Cho
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Bo-Kook Jang: Division of Animal, Horticultural and Food Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
Kyungtae Park: Division of Animal, Horticultural and Food Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
Sang Yeob Lee: Division of Animal, Horticultural and Food Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
Hamin Lee: Division of Animal, Horticultural and Food Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
Soo Ho Yeon: Division of Animal, Horticultural and Food Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
Boran Ji: Division of Animal, Horticultural and Food Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
Cheol Hee Lee: Division of Animal, Horticultural and Food Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
Ju-Sung Cho: Division of Animal, Horticultural and Food Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 18, 1-10

Abstract: The formation and pollution of particulate matter (PM), a side effect of rapid industrialization and urbanization, is considered a global issue. However, various plant species are able to effectively capture and reduce atmospheric PM concentrations. We investigated the indoor growth and morphology of 21 indigenous Korean evergreen species at low light intensities to ascertain their ability to reduce PM of aerosol particles in a closed acrylic chamber. The decrease in PM mass concentration differed significantly across species, with a significant correlation (8 h; p < 0.001). The reduction in the mass concentration of PM differed with particle size and across species. The highest reduction of PM 2.5 occurred after 8 h with Dryopteris lacera (86.8%), Ilex × wandoensis (84.9%), Machilus thunbergii (84.3%), and Rhododendron brachycarpum (84.0%). Reduction of PM 10 after 8 h was highest with Cephalotaxus harringtonii (98.3%), I. × wandoensis (98.5%), M. thunbergii (98.5%), and R. brachycarpum (98.3%). Plant morphological characteristics (category, plant height, leaf shape, leaf area) and relative humidity were closely related to the decrease in PM mass concentration. In conclusion, our findings can be used to identify Korean plant species that can reduce PM concentration and are suitable for indoor use.

Keywords: aerosol particles; indoor air quality; indoor plants; PM 2.5; PM 10; relative humidity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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