Comparisons of the Capacity of Four Ornamental Plants on Purifying Indoor Formaldehyde Pollution

Abstract

Four indoor ornamental plants were compared for their absorption capacities in a simulated indoor environment according to the absorption rate per leaf area after 24 hours' formaldehyde treatment. Meanwhile, chlorophyll a/b ratio, relative conductivity and MDA content were measured to assess those plants' physiological responses to formaldehyde stress. The results showed that the capacities of experimental plants on removing formaldehyde were different, and the order of the plants according to the removal capacities measured was Sansevieria trifasciatavar'Laurentii'> Chlorophytum comosum 'Mediopictum'> Aloevera'Chinensis'> Scindapsus aureum. Key words: indoor ornamental plants; formaldehyde; capacity of removal; tolerance With the continuous development of people's living standard, people pay more and more attention to the air quality in their home. In terms of the indoor air pollutants, formaldehyde can be found commonly. It was shown that formaldehyde effects on human health are mainly manifested in heterosmia, stimulation, allergic reactions and abnormal reactions of lung function and immunologic function [1-2] . The domestic and foreign researches suggest that plants are the most energetic and metabolic decoration, which can purify the indoor polluted air effectively, safely and conveniently in a certain pollution range. More and more ornamental plants have been used in all indoor spaces such as homes, work places, hotels and shopping centers. This paper focus on the comparisons of 4 different commonly used ornamental plants in home decoration. By using the measurement method of the airtight artificial fumigation for plants, the physiological indexes have been obtained to comprehensively evaluate the capacity of purifying formaldehyde, which provide reference for selecting indoor ornamental plants.