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CONCEPTUAL RESEARCH BASED ON PHYTOREMEDIATION: AN ANALYTICAL RESEARCH
Dr. Archana Bansal
Associate Professor–Zoology, Sri Tikaram Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Aligarh, UP, India
Abstract - The media has recently covered a number of stories about poor indoor air quality in homes and workplaces, which has serious health effects. Despite the fact that we spend 90% of our time inside, monitoring and controlling the quality of our indoor air have been neglected. Combustion products like oil, gas, kerosene, coal, wood, tobacco products, building materials, asbestos, carpet fibers, pesticides used in the home, biological pollutants like molds and mites, and aerosols from personal care products are all sources of indoor air pollution. Outside air contamination additionally enters the indoor region by ventilation and invasion.
However, the pollutants remain in the air inside for an extended period of time, causing harm to the occupants. Eye, nose, and throat irritation are among the most common negative effects that are observed also a cough, wheeze, tightness in the chest, and an increased susceptibility to allergens in the airways. It has been observed that many indoor ornamental plants, including the Gerber daisy, golden pothos, spider plant, and snake plant, reduce indoor pollution. In point of fact, the rising demand for these plants is propelling the nursery industry to new heights.
Through photosynthesis, plants can get rid of pollutants like carbon dioxide, break down volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with rhizosperic microbes, and they can store particulate matter. In phytoremediation, the intriguing idea of green walls or botanical bio filters is making waves. These systems' initial outcomes are encouraging. The plants and the mechanism by which indoor plants reduce pollution are examined in this paper.
Keywords: Phytoremediation, volatile organic compound (VOC), indoor air pollution (IAP), and indoor air quality (IAQ).
1 INTRODUCTION
India is one of the world's most populous nations. Due to human activities like cooking, heating fuel, tobacco, developing industrialization, chemical cleaner, infiltration from ventilation, and chemical cleaning, a dense population has led to high levels of indoor air pollution (IAP). It has been reported that indoor air is more polluted than outdoor air.
Volatile organic compounds (VOC), trichloroethylene (TCE), xylene, toluene, and formaldehyde are examples of indoor pollutants, as are octane, -pinene, benzene, carbon
monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), pesticides, and others. Indoor air is also contaminated with pollutants from the outside, such as those from traffic and industrial or agricultural activities. Asthma, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) are some of the harmful effects of IAP.
The following is a summary of some common indoor pollutants and their harmful effects:
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) - cause disorders of the eyes, loss of coordination,
2 irritation of the respiratory tract, nerve disorders, visual disorders, nausea, allergic reactions, and asthma.
Formaldehyde - Causes breathing challenges, Skin rash, other unfavorably susceptible response.
Moulds - Asthma, nerve disorders, conjunctival irritation, hypersensitivity reactions, and systemic infections are all examples of asthma.
Carbon Monoxide - induces drowsiness, nausea, irritability, confusion, unconsciousness, coma, and death.
As a result, the quality of indoor air (IAQ) is now a major public concern. The mitigation of IAP is becoming increasingly dependent on
phytoremediation. The
phytoremediation, adsorption, absorption, and stomata uptake processes that plants use to reduce indoor pollution are just a few of the many methods they employ. These activities are influenced by the surface area of the leaf, plant variability, temperature, humidity, availability of water, light source, and other factors.
Therefore, knowing which plant species can be used to treat IAP would be extremely beneficial to both the general public and the scientific community.
1.1 General Benefit of Indoor Plants 1. Enhancement in IAQ (Indoor
Air Quality): Carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and other harmful indoor pollution are absorbed by plants and their medium with the assistance of
indoor plants (IPs).The IPs reduce indoor air pollution.
2. Reduction in energy depletion or greenhouse gas emanations:
Canada demonstrates that shading with living walls significantly reduces summertime indoor heat and results in a 23% reduction in energy costs.
3. Reduction in heat: The temperature near the planting area is lowered by the green wall because of evapotranspiration.
According to Alexandri's research, green walls reduce temperature to more "eco- friendly" levels and save energy for cooling buildings by 32% to 100%.
4. Hydrology: Because they are able to successfully control the rapid release of storm water into the drains, indoor plants are effective hydrologists.
5. Depletion in sound pollution:
The plants and their medium work by blocking out sound, as can be seen on several roadside.
6. Food production: By the use of vertical green wall people also can grow food on their wall.
7. Enhancement of healthiness or comfort: People have more vegetation in our livable environments as a result of the green wall, which improves working conditions. According to a survey conducted in the United States, employees are happier in an environment that is lush.
2 REMOVAL MECHANISM
Microbial degradation (rhizospheric microorganisms), 2) plant-liquid extraction (phytoexteraction), 3) plant-
3 gas extraction (stomatal uptake), 4) enzymatic catalysis within tissues, 5) directly by evaporation from leaves or indirectly by plant transpiration are the various mechanisms by which plants remove indoor pollution. Some authors contend that the soil, stomata in the case of the root, or the root system of shrubs remove impurities.
The removal of pollutants is also performed by the microbial flora of the rhizosphere. Acid is produced when
gases absorbed by plants react with the inner surface of the leaves or absorbed water in the intercellular space. Along with the leaf surface, suspended air particles are diverted and fall to the ground in the form of rain. It has been demonstrated that large trees with diameters greater than 77 centimeters remove nearly 70 times more pollutants from the air each year than smaller trees with diameters less than 8 centimeters.
Figure 1 Mechanisms involved in phytoremediation.
2.1 Scientific studies on Phytoremediation of Indoor Pollution
In 2014, Gawroska and Bakera conducted research on the use of spider plants to remove particulate matter from home, apartment, and perfume bottling room air. According to their research, spider plants accumulate a significant amount of particulate matter depending on the activities that take place inside.
Abbass and co. 2017 reported that
five common indoor plants, Peace Lily, Ficus, Calathia, Dieffenbachia, and Golden Pothos, reduced indoor ozone levels and moderately removed ozone.
Ozone removal was largely determined by the surface area of the leaves. Kim et. al. 2008 examined how the aerial and root parts of two common indoor plants, Ficus japonica and Ficus benjamina, eliminated volatile for maldehyde. They reported that the aerial plant parts removed significantly more formaldehyde
4 during the day than at night when the stomata were closed. Orwell and co.
2004 conducted research on the removal of benzene by rhizospheric microorganisms and potted plants, and they came to the conclusion that rhizospheric microorganisms were to be the primary removal agents. The removal of pollutants by plants, rhizospheric and endophytic microorganisms has been strongly demonstrated. Formaldehyde removal by Euphorbia milii and the corresponding levels of IAA were determined in a study. IAA levels and airborne formaldehyde removal by Euphorbia milii were found to rise when the plant was inoculated with endophytic isolates. According to Kempeener et al., bioaugmentation of Azalea indica's phyllosphere with a toluene-degrading enrichment culture of Pseudomonas putida TVA8 demonstrated promising results for toluene removal. Zamioculcas zamiifolia plants have been shown to detoxify ozone (O3) upon addition of Bacillus cereus ERBP 2003.
3 DISCUSSION
These studies, as previously stated, strongly support the use of potted plants in indoor environments to mitigate the effects of indoor air pollutants. Native ornamental plants, which can be adopted by individual households for their own benefits, have been shown to be effective for IAP removal in studies. Indoor plants should be kept and maintained to reduce pollutant levels in large enclosures like factories and offices.
The concept of "Green walls" being designed and put in place is intriguing. Green wall, also known as a living wall, bio wall, or vertical
vegetation, is grown on a separate structural system that can be attached to the wall with a facility for automatic watering. Green walls reduce heat and air pollution both inside and outside the building, which contributes to climate change. They have soil, an automatic watering system, a growing medium, and climbing plants or shrubs that attach to the wall to form the façade. This means that indoor plants can help us in multiple ways.
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