The botanical biofiltration of volatile organic compounds and particulate matter derived from cigarette smoke

Angela L Morgan; Fraser R Torpy; Peter J Irga; Robert Fleck; Raissa L Gill; Thomas Pettit

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.133942

The botanical biofiltration of volatile organic compounds and particulate matter derived from cigarette smoke

Chemosphere. 2022 May:295:133942. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.133942. Epub 2022 Feb 9.

Authors

Angela L Morgan¹, Fraser R Torpy², Peter J Irga³, Robert Fleck², Raissa L Gill⁴, Thomas Pettit⁵

Affiliations

¹ Plants and Environmental Quality Research Group, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Australia; Environment and Planning, Aurecon, Australia.
² Plants and Environmental Quality Research Group, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Australia.
³ Plants and Environmental Quality Research Group, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology Sydney, Australia.
⁴ Coastal Oceanography and Algal Research Team, Climate Change Cluster, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Australia.
⁵ Plants and Environmental Quality Research Group, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Australia. Electronic address: Thomas.Pettit@uts.edu.au.

PMID: 35150705
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.133942

Abstract

Despite the growing use of control measures, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) remains a significant pollutant source in indoor air in many areas of the world. Current control methods for reducing ETS exposure are inadequate to protect public health in environments where cigarettes are smoked. An alternative solution is botanical biofiltration which has previously been shown to lower concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter (PM) from a range of polluted air streams. This study is the first to assess the potential of a botanical biofilter with the species Spathiphyllum wallisii (Peace Lily) for the removal of cigarette-derived VOCs and all size fractions of PM. Single pass removal efficiencies of 43.26% for total VOCs and 34.37% for total suspended particles were achieved. The botanical biofilter reduced the concentrations of a range of harmful ETS chemicals including nicotine, limonene, and toluene. Evaluation of the re-emission of ETS constituents filtered by the botanical biofilter revealed no particle resuspension or off gassing. The results demonstrate the potential of botanical biofilters to reduce public ETS exposure, although further research is needed to improve upon and ensure the efficiency of these systems for practical applications.

Keywords: Biogenic VOCs (BVOCs); Green wall; Indoor plant; Living wall; Phytoremediation; VOCs.

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollution, Indoor* / analysis
Cigarette Smoking*
Nicotine / analysis
Particulate Matter / analysis
Tobacco Smoke Pollution* / analysis
Volatile Organic Compounds* / analysis

Substances

Air Pollutants
Particulate Matter
Tobacco Smoke Pollution
Volatile Organic Compounds
Nicotine