Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 8
Reducing Indoor Air Pollutants Through
Biotechnology
Fraser R. Torpy, Peter J. Irga and Margaret D. Burchett
Abstract Indoor environmental quality is a growing concern, as populations
become more urbanised and people spend a greater proportion of their lives
indoors. Volatile organic compounds outgassing from synthetic materials and
carbon dioxide from human respiration have been major indoor air quality con-
cerns. The growing use of energy-efficient recirculating ventilation solutions has
led to greater accumulation of these pollutants indoors. A range of physiochemical
methods have been developed to remove contaminants from indoor air, but
all methods have high maintenance costs and none reduce CO
2
, which some
biological systems can achieve effectively with the additional benefit of the self-
sustaining capacity of biological material. Bacteria are the major organisms
involved in bioremediation of VOCs, although green plants may help sustain the
bacterial community and add the capacity for CO
2
reduction to a system. The main
problems faced by indoor air bioremediation systems is the extremely low con-
centrations of VOCs present indoors and the possibility of microbial release.
Simple, passive biofiltration with potted green plants may be the simplest and most
effective system for indoor air cleaning, but further research into substrate types,
ventilation, and the microbiology of biodegradation processes is required to reveal
their ultimate potential. Purely microbial systems have potential for the bioame-
lioration of high concentrations of toxic gases, but not without significant main-
tenance costs. Despite many years of study and substantial market demand, a
proven formula for indoor air bioremediation for all applications is yet to be
developed.
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