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. 2019 Jan;26(1):473-482.
doi: 10.1007/s11356-018-3628-0. Epub 2018 Nov 7.

Removal of particulate matter and trace elements from ambient air by urban greenery in the winter season

Arkadiusz Przybysz  1 , Gayane Nersisyan  2 , Stanisław Waldemar Gawroński  3
Affiliations

Removal of particulate matter and trace elements from ambient air by urban greenery in the winter season

Arkadiusz Przybysz et al. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2019 Jan.

Abstract

Particulate matter (PM) is one of the most harmful inhaled pollutants. When PM is emitted into the atmosphere, the only possible method for cleaning ambient air is through vegetation acting as biological filters for pollutants. However, in winter periods when the concentration of PM is usually the highest, the efficiency of plants is very low. The aim of this work was therefore to examine the accumulation of PM and selected trace elements (TE) by three species, evergreen coniferous Taxus baccata L. and Pinus nigra Arn., and deciduous Carpinus betulus L. during the winter season. The highest amounts of PM accumulated on the foliage of P. nigra, while TE on the leaves of C. betulus. Most of the PM accumulated on plant foliage belonged to the large fraction size (10-100 μm) and was deposited on the surface of foliage (SPM). The concentration of four TE (Ni, Pb, Cd, and Sb) was higher in PM accumulated on foliage, while in the case of three other TE (Zn, Cr and Mg), their concentration was higher in plant tissue. The TE were recorded in all PM size fractions and were rather equally distributed between surface PM (SPM) and in-wax PM (WPM). These findings have implications for urban plantings in countries with short vegetative season, where tolerant conifer species and deciduous species which keep foliage through winter should be included in urban forest plantings due to their efficiency in the removal of pollutants from the air.

Keywords: Air quality; Evergreen trees and shrubs; Heavy metals; In-wax PM; PM size fractions; Phytoremediation; Surface PM.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The amount (μg cm−2) of total PM, surface PM (SPM) and wax-embedded PM (WPM) accumulated on the foliage of three tested species. Data are mean ± SD, n = 4. 1Comparison of the total PM amount between different species (capital letters). 2Comparison of the surface PM (SPM) and wax-embedded PM (WPM) within the same species (lowercase letters)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The wax content (μg cm−2) in the foliage of three tested species. Data are mean ± SD, n = 4
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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