Removal of Low-Molecular Weight Aldehydes by Selected Houseplants under Different Light Intensities and CO 2 Concentrations

摘要

The removal of five low-molecular weight aldehydes by two houseplants ( Schefflera octophylla (Lour.) Harms and Chamaedorea elegans ) were investigated in a laboratory simulation environment with short-term exposure to different low light intensities and CO 2 concentrations. Under normal circumstances, the C 1 –C 5 aldehyde removal rates of Schefflera octophylla (Lour.) Harms and Chamaedorea elegans (Lour.) Harms ranged from 0.311 μmol/m 2 /h for valeraldehyde to 0.677 μmol/m 2 /h for formaldehyde, and 0.526 μmol/m 2 /h for propionaldehyde to 1.440 μmol/m 2 /h for formaldehyde, respectively. However, when the light intensities varied from 0 to 600 lx, a significant correlation between the aldehyde removal rate and the light intensity was found. Moreover, the CO 2 experiments showed that the total aldehyde removal rates of Schefflera octophylla (Lour.) Harms and Chamaedorea elegans (Lour.) Harms decreased 32.0% and 43.2%, respectively, with increasing CO 2 concentrations from 350 ppmv to 1400 ppmv. This might be explained by the fact that the excessive CO 2 concentration decreased the stomatal conductance which limited the carbonyl uptake from the stomata.