The impact of rainfall in remobilising particulate matter accumulated on leaves of four evergreen species grown on a green screen and a living wall |
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| Institution: | 1. Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Silviculture and Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China;2. School of Environment, Henan Normal University, Key Laboratory for Yellow River and Huai River Water Environment and Pollution Control, Ministry of Education, Henan Key Laboratory for Environmental Pollution Control, Xinxiang, Henan 453007, China;3. Henan Vocational College of Agriculture, Zhengzhou, Henan 451450, China;4. National Energy R&D Center for Non-food Biomass, Beijing 100083, China;1. College of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China;2. College of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China;3. Science and Technology Department, Binh Duong Province, Viet Nam;1. State Key Laboratory Incubation Base of Urban Environmental Processes and Digital Simulation, College of Resource Environment and Tourism, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China;2. State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China;3. Public Meteorological Service Center, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing 100081, China |
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| Abstract: | Green walls have recently been identified as a green infrastructure (GI) solution to the problem of particulate matter (PM) air pollution. Green wall systems mostly use evergreen plants as the leaves are retained throughout the year; however, researchers have argued that evergreen foliage becomes saturated with PM and fails to capture more due to a long retention time on the leaves. This study evaluated the potential of (simulated) rainfall to remobilise these captured PM and renew the capture ability of the leaf surfaces of four evergreen species (Heuchera villosa Michx, Helleborus × sternii Turrill, Bergenia cordifolia (Haw.) Sternb., Hedera helix L.) used in a living wall and a green screen located along a busy road in Stoke-on-Trent, UK. The approach used compared PM densities on pre- and post-rain exposed leaf surfaces (using leaf halves of the same leaf) and using a paired t-test to identify any significant reduction in PM due to the rainfall. An Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM) and ImageJ image analysis software were employed to quantify the PM densities on leaves. The reduction of PM on leaves, following exposure to 16 mm hr?1 simulated rain in six different rainfall durations was estimated in all four species in order to evaluate any variable impact of rainfall on different species of plants. PM wash-off levels on leaves of H. helix by 41 mm hr?1 rain was also evaluated, using the same rainfall durations, to assess any differential impact of rainfall intensity on PM wash-off. This study revealed a significant impact of rainfall in washing the particles off the leaves in all rainfall durations used. A one-way Anova in a Generalised Linear Model showed a differential impact of rainfall in remobilising PM on different species of plants. The rainfall with higher intensity (41 mm hr?1) showed a significantly higher impact on PM wash-off compared to 16 mm hr?1 rain. The results of this study demonstrated the potential of green walls to act as good PM traps throughout the year by recycling their capture surfaces. |
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| Keywords: | Evergreen species Green Infrastructure Leaf micromorphology PM wash-off Simulated rain |
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