Characterisation of fungal and bacterial dynamics in an active green wall used for indoor air pollutant removal

Fleck, R; Gill, RL; Pettit, T; Irga, PJ; Williams, NLR; Seymour, JR; Torpy, FR

Characterisation of fungal and bacterial dynamics in an active green wall used for indoor air pollutant removal

Fleck, R Gill, RL Pettit, T Irga, PJ Williams, NLR Seymour, JR Torpy, FR

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Publisher:: PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Building and Environment, 2020, 179
Issue Date:: 2020-07-15

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Fleck, R
dc.contributor.author	Gill, RL
dc.contributor.author	Pettit, T
dc.contributor.author	Irga, PJ
dc.contributor.author	Williams, NLR
dc.contributor.author	Seymour, JR
dc.contributor.author	Torpy, FR
dc.date.accessioned	2020-09-18T03:52:34Z
dc.date.available	2020-09-18T03:52:34Z
dc.date.issued	2020-07-15
dc.identifier.citation	Building and Environment, 2020, 179
dc.identifier.issn	0360-1323
dc.identifier.issn	1873-684X
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/142729
dc.description.abstract	© 2020 Elsevier Ltd Indoor air quality (IAQ) is of growing public health concern which has prompted the use of plants to phytoremediate air pollution in interior spaces. Active green walls are emerging as a means of reducing indoor contaminants and have demonstrated efficacy comparable to conventional air filtering technologies. However, the use of active airflow through organic substrates has the potential to emit bioaerosols into the surrounding environment, where the potential risk to human health is largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that two indoor green walls (with and without active airflow) contribute significantly to the ambient fungal load, however concentrations remained well below WHO safety guidelines. Bacterial dynamics within the rhizosphere/substrate of the operational botanical biofilters displayed variability across plant species. Phyla-wide distribution generally aligned with previous literature; however, differences from those previously reported were observed at the genus level, possibly due to geographic location, substrate composition, or plant species selection. Targeted assessment of Legionella aerosol contamination, an under-addressed potential pathogen for these active systems, yielded no positive identification during the sampling period. We conclude that active green walls host a unique bacterial profile and do not emit harmful levels of fungal propagules or pose significant risk of aerosolised Legionella species, provided systems are well monitored and maintained.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
dc.relation.ispartof	Building and Environment
dc.relation.hasversion	Accepted version	en
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.106987
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/embargoedAccess
dc.subject	0502 Environmental Science and Management, 1201 Architecture, 1202 Building
dc.subject.classification	Building & Construction
dc.title	Characterisation of fungal and bacterial dynamics in an active green wall used for indoor air pollutant removal
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	179
utslib.for	0502 Environmental Science and Management
utslib.for	1201 Architecture
utslib.for	1202 Building
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - CTWW - Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater Treatment
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - C3 - Climate Change Cluster
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Life Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
utslib.copyright.embargo	2022-05-24T00:00:00+1000Z
dc.date.updated	2020-09-18T03:52:30Z
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	179

Abstract:

© 2020 Elsevier Ltd Indoor air quality (IAQ) is of growing public health concern which has prompted the use of plants to phytoremediate air pollution in interior spaces. Active green walls are emerging as a means of reducing indoor contaminants and have demonstrated efficacy comparable to conventional air filtering technologies. However, the use of active airflow through organic substrates has the potential to emit bioaerosols into the surrounding environment, where the potential risk to human health is largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that two indoor green walls (with and without active airflow) contribute significantly to the ambient fungal load, however concentrations remained well below WHO safety guidelines. Bacterial dynamics within the rhizosphere/substrate of the operational botanical biofilters displayed variability across plant species. Phyla-wide distribution generally aligned with previous literature; however, differences from those previously reported were observed at the genus level, possibly due to geographic location, substrate composition, or plant species selection. Targeted assessment of Legionella aerosol contamination, an under-addressed potential pathogen for these active systems, yielded no positive identification during the sampling period. We conclude that active green walls host a unique bacterial profile and do not emit harmful levels of fungal propagules or pose significant risk of aerosolised Legionella species, provided systems are well monitored and maintained.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/142729