Enhancing mixed toluene and formaldehyde pollutant removal by Zamioculcas zamiifolia combined with Sansevieria trifasciata and its CO2 emission

Journal article

Authors/Editors

CHAIRAT TREESUBSUNTORN

Strategic Research Themes

Innovative Environment (Future Learning)

Publication Details

Author list: Ullah, Haseeb; Treesubsuntorn, Chairat; Thiravetyan, Paitip

Publisher: Springer

Publication year: 2021

Journal: Environmental Science and Pollution Research (0944-1344)

Volume number: 28

Issue number: 1

Start page: 538

End page: 546

Number of pages: 9

ISSN: 0944-1344

eISSN: 1614-7499

URL: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85089572495&doi=10.1007%2fs11356-020-10342-w&partnerID=40&md5=35995d7bc8db7755d27d1e0be546a743

Languages: English-Great Britain (EN-GB)

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Abstract

Indoor air pollutants comprise both polar and non-polar volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Indoor potted plants are well known for their innate ability to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) by detoxification of indoor air pollutants. In this study, a combination of two different plant species comprising a C3 plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) and a crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plant (Sansevieria trifasciata) was used to remove polar and non-polar VOCs and minimize CO2 emission from the chamber. Z. zamiifolia and S. trifasciata, when combined, were able to remove more than 95% of pollutants within 48 h and could do so for six consecutive pollutant’s exposure cycles. The CO2 concentration was reduced from 410 down to 160 ppm inside the chamber. Our results showed that using plant growth medium rather than soil had a positive effect on decreasing CO2. We also re-affirmed the role of formaldehyde dehydrogenase in the detoxification and metabolism of formaldehyde and that exposure of plants to pollutants enhances the activity of this enzyme in the shoots of both Z. zamiifolia and S. trifasciata. Overall, a mixed plant of Z. zamiifolia and S. trifasciata was more efficient at removing mixed pollutants and reducing CO2 than individual plants. © 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

Keywords

C3 photosynthesis, CO2 concentration, Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM)