Dias nummer 1

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Indoor air purification by plants Majbrit Dela
Cruz
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• Outline
• My background
• Background of the topic
• Plants purify the air
• in closed chambers
• in offices
• What will I be investigating?
• My work so far

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My background
44 PhD student 2010-2014 BSc in
horticulture Main supervisor Renate Müller
(IJØ) Co-supervisor Jan H. Christensen (IGM)
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Background of the topic
Time spend indoors up to 90 Amount of air
breathed per day 21-23m3 Indoor air can be more
polluted than outdoor air Sick-building-syndrome
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Sources of indoor air pollutants
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Plants purify the air in closed chambers
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Plants purify the air in closed chambers
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Plants purify the air in closed chambers

• Removal of VOCs is dependent on
• Light intensity
• VOC concentration
• VOC and plant species
• VOCs being single or in mixture
• Micro organisms in the soil

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Light intensity
Increasing light intensity generally results in
increased VOC removal Not always so at low light
intensity
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VOC concentration
In absolute terms Increasing VOC concentration
results in increased VOC removal In relative
terms Increasing VOC concentration results in
decreased VOC removal
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VOC concentration
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VOC and plant species
VOC removal differs with VOC and plant species
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Removal of a single VOC is different from removal
of VOCs in mixtures
VOCs in mixtures
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Micro organisms in the soil
Can account for nearly all VOC removal but plants
are important for maintenance Removal by
aboveground part vs. belowground part is 11 at
day and 111 at night
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Plants purify the air in offices
Only few studies Plants can to some extend reduce
VOC levels
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Plants purify the air in offices
Air-conditioned
Naturally ventilated
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What will I be investigating
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My work so far
System setup
Light 45?mol/m2/s Temperature 20C Light/dark
12/12h
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My work so far
System setup
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My work so far
Removal of toluene by Hedera helix
80 removed after 8 hours 60?g/m2/h
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Thank you
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Picture references
http//www.pension-emma.it/willkommen.asp
http//www.agrocangall.com/pages/frame_e.htm
http//www.vitality4life.com.au/clean-air/why-purc
hase-an-air-filter/
http//kontorindretning.blogspot.com/
http//www.houseofplants.co.uk/healthytop10.htm
http//www.onetrendblog.com/410/plant-powered-air-
cleaner/
http//www.ecosignal.org/?p4952
http//www.nikibrown.com/designoblog/2009/11/01/fu
nny-strang-japanese-inventions/
http//www.hylandseeds.com/agronomy_facts.php
http//www.dreamstime.com/cartoon-virus-germ-bacte
ria--image3234482
http//www.ambius.com/ambius-catalogs/tabletop-cre
denza-plants/hedera-helix/index.html
http//www.engrish.com