The potted-plant microcosm substantially reduces indoor air VOC pollution: I. Office field-study

Wood, RA; Burchett, MD; Alquezar, R; Orwell, RL; Tarran, J; Torpy, F

The potted-plant microcosm substantially reduces indoor air VOC pollution: I. Office field-study

Wood, RA Burchett, MD Alquezar, R Orwell, RL Tarran, J Torpy, F

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 2006, 175 (1-4), pp. 163 - 180
Issue Date:: 2006-09-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Wood, RA	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Burchett, MD	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Alquezar, R	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Orwell, RL	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Tarran, J	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Torpy, F https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9137-6948	en_US
dc.date.issued	2006-09-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 2006, 175 (1-4), pp. 163 - 180	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0049-6979	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/3620
dc.description.abstract	Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are major contaminants of indoor air, with concentrations often several times higher than outdoors. They are recognized as causative agents of "building-related illness" or "sick-building syndrome". Our previous laboratory test-chamber studies have shown that the potted-plant/root-zone microorganism microcosm can eliminate high concentrations of air-borne VOCs within 24 hours, once the removal response has been induced by an initial dose. However, the effectiveness of the potted-plant microcosm in 'real-world' indoor spaces has never previously been tested experimentally. This paper reports the results of a field-study on the effects of potted-plant presence on total VOC (TVOC) levels, measured in 60 offices (12 per treatment), over two 5-9 week periods, using three planting regimes, with two 'international indoor-plant' species. Fourteen VOCs were identified in the office air. When TVOC loads in reference offices rose above 100 ppb, large reductions, of from 50 to 75% (to <100 ppb), were found in planted offices, under all planting regimes The results indicate that air-borne TVOC levels above a threshold of about 100 ppb stimulate the graded induction of an efficient metabolic VOC-removal mechanism in the microcosm. Follow-up laboratory dose-response experiments, reported in the following paper, confirm the graded induction response, over a wide range of VOC concentrations. The findings together demonstrate that potted-plants can provide an efficient, self-regulating, low-cost, sustainable, bioremediation system for indoor air pollution, which can effectively complement engineering measures to reduce indoor air pollution, and hence improve human wellbeing and productivity. © Springer 2006.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Water, Air, and Soil Pollution	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1007/s11270-006-9124-z	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Environmental Sciences	en_US
dc.title	The potted-plant microcosm substantially reduces indoor air VOC pollution: I. Office field-study	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	1-4	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	175	en_US
utslib.for	060702 Plant Cell and Molecular Biology	en_US
utslib.for	100299 Environmental Biotechnology not elsewhere classified	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Life Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	1-4	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	175	en_US

Abstract:

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are major contaminants of indoor air, with concentrations often several times higher than outdoors. They are recognized as causative agents of "building-related illness" or "sick-building syndrome". Our previous laboratory test-chamber studies have shown that the potted-plant/root-zone microorganism microcosm can eliminate high concentrations of air-borne VOCs within 24 hours, once the removal response has been induced by an initial dose. However, the effectiveness of the potted-plant microcosm in 'real-world' indoor spaces has never previously been tested experimentally. This paper reports the results of a field-study on the effects of potted-plant presence on total VOC (TVOC) levels, measured in 60 offices (12 per treatment), over two 5-9 week periods, using three planting regimes, with two 'international indoor-plant' species. Fourteen VOCs were identified in the office air. When TVOC loads in reference offices rose above 100 ppb, large reductions, of from 50 to 75% (to <100 ppb), were found in planted offices, under all planting regimes The results indicate that air-borne TVOC levels above a threshold of about 100 ppb stimulate the graded induction of an efficient metabolic VOC-removal mechanism in the microcosm. Follow-up laboratory dose-response experiments, reported in the following paper, confirm the graded induction response, over a wide range of VOC concentrations. The findings together demonstrate that potted-plants can provide an efficient, self-regulating, low-cost, sustainable, bioremediation system for indoor air pollution, which can effectively complement engineering measures to reduce indoor air pollution, and hence improve human wellbeing and productivity. © Springer 2006.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/3620