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Particulate Matter Removal of Indoor Plants, Dieffenbachia amoena ‘Marianne’ and Spathiphyllum spp. according to Light Intensity

2018; Volume: 46; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.9715/kila.2018.46.2.062

2288-9566

Kei-Jung Kwon, Bong-Ju Park,

Urban Green Space and Health

This study investigated the effect of light intensity on the removal of particulate matter by Dieffenbachia amoena 'Marianne' and Spathiphyllum spp.. An acrylic chamber (600×800×1200mm, L×W×H) modeled as an indoor space and a green bio-filter (495×495×1000mm, L×W×H) as an air purification device were made of acrylic. The removal of particulate matter PM10 and PM1, the photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and number of stomata of Dieffenbachia amoena 'Marianne' and Spathiphyllum spp. were measured according to three different levels of light intensity (0, 30 and 60 µmol․m −2 ․s −1 PPFD). Regarding the length of time taken for PM10 to reach 1µg, the Dieffenbachia amoena 'Marianne' showed a significant difference according to the presence or absence of light, and there was no significant difference shown between light intensity of 30 and 60 µmol․m −2 ․s −1 PPFD. As for the Spathiphyllum spp., there was no significant difference between 0 and 30 µmol․m −2 ․s −1 PPFD, while a significant difference was shown at 60 µmol․m −2 ․s −1 PPFD. After 90 minutes, the PM1, PM10, and CO 2 residuals of the Spathiphyllum spp. were lowest at 60 µmol․m −2 ․s −1 PPFD. The remaining amount of PM1 and PM10 was lower with the Spathiphyllum spp. than with the Dieffenbachia amoena 'Marianne', even at 0 µmol․m −2 ․s −1 PPFD. With both plants, the higher the light intensity, the higher the photosynthetic rate, while the stomatal conductance did not show any significant difference. Spathiphyllum spp. showed a higher photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance and a greater number of stomata than Dieffenbachia amoena 'Marianne', and stomata were observed in both the front and back sides of the leaves. The air purification effect of Spathiphyllum spp. is considered to be better than Dieffenbachia amoena 'Marianne' at the same light intensity due to such plant characteristics. Therefore, in order to select effective indoor plants for the removal of particulate contamination in an indoor space, the characteristics of plants such as the photosynthetic rate and the number and arrangement of stomata according to indoor light intensity should be considered.