Comparison of the Particulate Matter Removal Capacity of 11 Herbaceous Landscape Plants

Abstract

Background and objective Particulate matter (PM) has a fatal effect on health. There have been many studies on the use of plants such as trees and shrubs as eco-friendly and sustainable biofilter for the removal of PM. In forming more green space, ground cover plants play an important role in multi-layered planting. This study was conducted to investigate the ability of plants to reduce PM, targeting Korean native ground cover plants with high availability in urban green spaces. Methods For 4 species of Asteraceae, 4 species of Liliaceae, and 3 species of Rosaceae, one species of plants at a time were placed in an acrylic chamber (800 × 800 × 1000 mm, L × W × H) modeling an indoor space. After the injection of PM, the amount of PM remaining in the chamber over time was investigated. Results For all three types of PM (PM10, PM2.5, PM1), significant difference occurred in the amount of PM remaining between plant species after 1 hour in the Liliaceae chamber, 3 hours in the Asteraceae chamber, and 5 hours in the Rosaceae chamber. With Liliaceae, the leaf area and the amount of PM remaining in the chamber showed a negative (−) correlation. With the Asteraceae and Rosaceae, there was a weak negative correlation between the leaf area and the amount of PM remaining in the chamber. Conclusion When using ground cover plants as a biofilter to remove PM, it is considered effective to select a species with a large total leaf area, especially for Liliaceae.