Removal of Iron Oxide from Indoor Air at a Subway Station Using a Vegetation Biofilter: A Case Study of Seoul, Korea

Recently, metallic particulate pollutants floating underground have been reported to negatively affect the human body. Thus, there is an urgent need for a public health policy pertaining to the air quality in subway stations. In this study, we investigated whether a vegetation biofilter is effective...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAtmosphere Vol. 12; no. 11; p. 1463
Main Authors Kim, Tae-Han, Choi, Boo-Hun, Kang, Moon-Sung, Lee, Han-Ju
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.11.2021
Subjects
Air
Air conditioning
Air quality
Airborne particulates
Alzheimer's disease
Biofilters
Contaminants
Cultural heritage
Efficiency
Health policy
Human body
Indoor air
Indoor air quality
Indoor environments
Iron
iron oxide
Iron oxides
Irrigation
Metal particles
metallic particulate pollutant
Metals
Outdoor air quality
Particulate matter
Pollutants
Public health
Rank tests
Statistical analysis
Statistical methods
subway station
Subway stations
Suspended particulate matter
Vegetation
vegetation biofilter
Weight
South Korea
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Summary:Recently, metallic particulate pollutants floating underground have been reported to negatively affect the human body. Thus, there is an urgent need for a public health policy pertaining to the air quality in subway stations. In this study, we investigated whether a vegetation biofilter is effective in reducing metal particle contaminants, especially iron oxide. After selecting a subway station, a vegetation biofilter system was installed, and samples were collected three times, at three intake areas and one exhaust area. The average weight ratio of the detected elements was calculated. The iron oxide reduction effect was evaluated using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. In the return air, C, O, and Fe were detected at 64.9, 27.3, and 5.2 wt.%, respectively; in the supply air, C, O, and Fe were detected at 67.2, 30.4, and 0.7 wt.%, respectively. The difference in the average Fe weight ratio was statistically significant. Air quality has a considerable effect on human health. We confirmed the possibility of reducing Fe in particulate matter using biofilters. However, we could not confirm whether the air quality was improved enough to not have a negative effect on the human body. This should be elucidated through follow-up studies.
ISSN:2073-4433
2073-4433
DOI:10.3390/atmos12111463