Investigation of Indoor Air Quality and Identification of Plant's Capabilities in Removing Air Pollutants in Urban Residential Buildings

Abstract

Indoor air pollution has been a severe problem in China since the 1970s. Currently, the primary indoor air pollutants are PM2.5 and PM10 in China. This study has investigated the PM performance inside a case study apartment, and the correlations between the indoor PM concentrations and the ambient PM concentrations have been identified and analysed. The results indicated that the indoor PM concentrations could not meet the requirements of the China Indoor Air Quality Standard (GBT18883-2012). The inside particulate matters were mainly originating from the ambient environment. Moreover, plants could reduce the indoor PM concentrations in a stable indoor environment during the unoccupied period, and the cleaning efficiency can be increased by install as many plants as possible into the space.