본 연구는 실내식물의 공기정화능을 연구하기 위하여 Ficus benjamina, Epipremnum aureum, Chamaedorea elegans, Fatsia japonica, Spthiphyllum spp., Hedera helix를 사용하여 동일한 환경조건의 밀폐 챔버 내부에 넣은 후, 250 ppb의 포름알데히드를 투입하여 광합성과 호흡을 통한 두 가스물질의 농도 변화량 및 제거속도를 24시간 동안 일정시간간격으로 측정하였다. 식물별 엽면적 1,000㎠ 당 제거량은 Ficus benjamina 128.6 ppb, Epipremnum aureum 152 ppb, Chamaedorea elegans 127.8 ppb, Fatsia japonica 165.9 ppb, Spthiphyllum spp. 156 ppb, Hedera helix 115 ppb로 나타났으며 포름알데히드의 농도변화곡선을 분석한 결과, Fatsia japonica와 Spthiphyllum spp.가 가장 폭넓은 광조건에서 비교적 높고 안정적인 감소율을 보였다. Epipremnum aureum의 경우, 총 제거량은 높았으나 시간대별 제거율이 불규칙하여 특정범위의 광량조건을 필요로 하는 것을 알 수 있었다. 특히 Hedrera helix의 경우, 매우 불규칙적인 농도변화로 포름알데히드 농도에도 민감함을 알 수 있었다.

Indoor pollution is becoming more serious problem, as we build more of highly insulated building and use materials that emit toxic chemicals into the air. Plants can be an "eco-friendly" solution to improve indoor air quality with low cost of installation and maintenance. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the purification capability of interior plants and to derive purification conversion factors that can determine their effectiveness in removing toxins associated with indoor air pollution, especially formaldehyde. The result obtained from the study is as following. First, the purification effectiveness was measured by changes in concentrations of formaldehyde in sealed chamber placed with several indoor plants, which include Ficus benjamina, Epipremnum aureum, Chamaedorea elegans, Fatsia japonica, Spthiphyllum spp., and Hedera helix. In addition, physiological changes in photosynthetic rates, transpirations, and stomatal resistances after exposure to formaldehyde were measured to examine the damage effects of the gases and sensitivity of the plants. The experiment result has shown that in general, the removal rate increased as the photosynthetic rate increased during day time, which in turn depends on the light intensity. It was also found that the range of light intensity resulted effective purification varies from plants. The photosynthetic rate of a plant is greatly influenced by environmental factors, such as temperature, humidity, ventilation and light. Thus, it is very important that plants can adjust to a wide range of surrounding conditions and are not very sensitive to such change. Considering the total quantities removed and the range of necessary light conditions, Fatsia japonica and Spthiphyllum spp. for formaldehyde in order of effectiveness.

ABSTRACT
  Ⅰ. 서언
  Ⅱ. 재료 및 방법
  Ⅲ. 결과 및 고찰
  Ⅳ. 요약
  Ⅴ. 참고문헌

• 박재숙(단국대학교 생명자원과학대학) | Jae Suk Park 교신저자
• 이진희(상명대학교 환경조경학과) | Jin Hee Lee
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