Indoor carbon monoxide removal using plant-based biofilters
Garth Munz1*, Alan B. Darlington1,2 and Mike A. Dixon1
ABSTRACT
Indoor air biofilters are currently available that incorporate living plants as part of the biofilm support matrix. These systems have successfully removed a range of VOC from indoor spaces. Preliminary experiments presented here, indicate a botanical system (including associated microbes) can reduce the amount of carbon monoxide (CO) in a closed, recirculating air-stream. This investigation explores the ability of a botanical system to biofilter CO, during the acclimation period. There was very little initial removal on the first day of exposure. However, after 15 days of exposure to less than 10 ppmv CO, the biofilter lowered the influent concentration of 8 ppmv entering the benchtop biofilter to less than 3 ppmv. Throughout the acclimation period there was a very strong linear correlation between the influent and effluent concentrations. After the first day of exposure, the intercept of these correlations were significantly different from zero.Ê Through the acclimation process the slope of the correlation decreased from between 1 and 0.95 to roughly 0.9. During the same period, the intercept constant term of the linear correlation decreased from 0 to -5. The shift in the intercept constant accounted for most of improved removal by the system.
The presented work clearly indicates that plant based biofilters can remove CO present at less than 10 ppmv from an air mass.
1 Controlled Environment Systems Lab, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada, N1G2W1
* Corresponding author email: gmunz@uoguelph.ca
2 Air Quality Solutions Ltd., 55 Callander Dr., Guelph, ON, Canada, N1E4H6
