Assessing Particulate Matter Deposition and Resuspension by Living Wall Systems in a Wind Tunnel Setup

Tess Ysebaert, Kyra Koch, Roeland Samson and Siegfried Denys ()
Additional contact information
Tess Ysebaert: Research Group DuEL, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
Kyra Koch: Research Group ENdEMIC, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
Roeland Samson: Research Group ENdEMIC, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
Siegfried Denys: Research Group DuEL, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 23, 1-25

Abstract: This study examines the particulate matter (PM) capture capacity of living wall systems (LWSs), focusing on leaf traits that facilitate PM deposition. Six LWS designs, differing in structure and substrate, were tested under constant airflow conditions with and without additional PM. Results showed that planter-based LWSs reduced PM 0.1 by 2% and PM 2.5 by 4%, while a textile LWS reduced PM 0.1 by 23% and PM 2.5 by 5%, though geotextile textile increased PM by 11% for both fractions. A moss substrate LWS worsened air quality, raising PM 0.1 by 2% and PM 2.5 by 5%. Magnetic analysis of leaf-deposited PM (SIRM) revealed species-specific differences ( p < 0.001), with SIRM values ranging from 5 ± 1 µA to 260 ± 1 µA and higher PM accumulation in plants with lower specific leaf areas. No differences were observed in SIRM between deposition and resuspension phases, indicating the PM source lacked sufficient magnetisable particles. The findings highlight the potential of LWSs in urban environments for air quality improvement but underscore the importance of selecting suitable LWS structures and plant species.

Keywords: living wall systems; particulate matter; deposition; resuspension; wind tunnel study; sustainable cities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/23/10733/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/23/10733/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:23:p:10733-:d:1538518

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().