Abstract:

Formaldehyde is a common toxic indoor pollutant. It usually occurs in gaseous or liquid form under normal room temperature and humidity condition. Formaldehyde is widely used as an adhesive in the production of wooden floor boards because it is cheap and easy to acquire in the market. To date, it has already become the main harmful indoor pollutant in China. Two species of indoor potted green plants (Chlorophytum comosum and Scindapsus aureus) were put together with pieces of wooden floor boards (about 5 cm x 2 cm x 1 cm) in a transparent sealed plastic simulation box (40 cm x 40 cm x 40 cm). The formaldehyde concentration dynamics inside the sealed box were studied and recorded with a formaldehyde meter. The results showed that both species of potted plants had the ability to purify formaldehyde released from the wooden floor boards over a short period of time (11 - 13 h) and the purification rate was 0.075 – 0.108 mg/m3.h. Moreover, it was observed that S. aureus had a better purification performance than C. comosum. Hence, it is concluded that potted plants can not only be used for decorating the indoor environment but also to improve the indoor air quality by absorbing formaldehyde.