Volatile Organic Compound Removal Efficiency of Green and Variegated Foliage Plants Grown under Different Light Intensities

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of leaf form or phenotype and light intensity on the toluene, xylene, and ethylbenzene removal of three foliage plants. Green and variegated forms of Ardisia pusilla, Scindapsus aureus, and Hedera helix plants were grown under 10 and 20 µmol･m-2･s-1 light intensities for 8 months and were tested for their volatile organic compound (VOC) removal efficiency for 15 h. In general, variegated forms of the plant species have higher VOC removal after 15 h of VOC exposure than green plants, particularly when grown in 10 µmol･m-2･s-1. This is more evident in A. pusilla and S. aureus than in H. helix. The highest rate of toluene, m-, p-, and o-xylene removal per hour by plants grown under 10 µmol･m-2･s-1 was achieved by variegated A. pusilla, while for ethylbenzene, variegated A. pusilla and variegated H. helix had the highest removal rate per hour. In plants grown in 20 µmol･m-2･ s-1 light intensity, variegated and green H. helix have the highest removal rate per hour of toluene and m-, p-, and o-xylene. For ethylbenzene, variegated A. pusilla and green and variegated H. helix had the highest removal rates per hour. The plant with the lowest removal rate per hour for all five VOCs was green S. aureus grown under both light intensities. The percentage VOC removal rate of variegated over green plants was 22% higher at a lower light intensity.