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Active Soil Filter System for Indoor Air Purification in School Classrooms

Author

Listed:
  • Sungwan Son

    (Department of Environmental Research, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT), Goyang 10223, Republic of Korea)

  • Aya Elkamhawy

    (Department of Environmental Research, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT), Goyang 10223, Republic of Korea
    Smart City and Construction Engineering, University of Science & Technology (UST), Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea)

  • Choon-Man Jang

    (Department of Environmental Research, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT), Goyang 10223, Republic of Korea
    Smart City and Construction Engineering, University of Science & Technology (UST), Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea)

Abstract

An active soil filter system was newly designed and evaluated to obtain a higher removal efficiency of fine particulate matter (PM) for indoor air purification in schools. Unlike passive air purification systems that remove PM using only plant leaves, air purification can be maximized by filtering polluted indoor air directly between the soil particles supporting the plant. The novel system is composed of a composite soil layer and a suction blower that forces outside air into the soil layer. It was found that the air purification performance was improved as the inflow air velocity upstream of the soil is decreased and the soil stacking height increased. The lower the soil moisture, the better the air purification performance. Considering both the classroom environment and the system’s energy consumption, it is recommended that the soil stacking height is 150 mm, the soil inflow air velocity is 2 cm/s, and the relative humidity is 35%. Under these conditions, the air purification efficiency for PM 2.5 is 41.5%. The indoor air purification system using the soil filter system, along with the currently used plant leaves medium, is expected to improve the indoor air quality in public facilities, such as school classrooms.

Suggested Citation

  • Sungwan Son & Aya Elkamhawy & Choon-Man Jang, 2022. "Active Soil Filter System for Indoor Air Purification in School Classrooms," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-16, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:23:p:15666-:d:983709
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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