he first and most obvious step in reducing indoor air pollution is to reduce off-gassing from building materials and furnishings before they are allowed to be installed. The National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) identified indoor air pollution problems associated with sealed space habitats over 16 years ago.(1) Although a final solution to the trace contamination problems in these sealed environments has not been found, NASA does screen for off-gassing all new materials that are to be used in future space structures.
Another promising approach to further reducing trace levels of air pollutants inside future space habitats is the use of higher plants and their associated soil microorganisms.(28-29)
Since man's existence on Earth depends upon a life support system involving an intricate relationship with plants and their associated microorganisms, it should be obvious that when he attempts to isolate himself in tightly sealed buildings away from this ecological system, problems will arise. Even without the existence of hundreds of synthetic organic chemicals off-gassing into tightly sealed environments, man's own waste products would cause indoor air pollution problems.
The answer to these problems is obvious. If man is to move into closed environments,
on Earth or in space, he must take along nature's life support system. This is not easily achieved, however. At John C. Stennis Space Center, NASA has been attempting to solve this ecological puzzle for over 15 years. Professor Josef Gitelson of the USSR and his team of scientists and engineers have also been working with closed ecological systems for many years in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia.(30) Only recently, however, have critical parts of this complex puzzle begun to come together. Although maintaining the balance of the complete ecological cycle involves treating and recycling sewage, toxic chemicals, and other industrial water and air pollutants, only indoor air is addressed here.
In this study the leaves, roots, soil, and associated microorganisms of plants have been evaluated as a possible means of reducing indoor air pollutants. Additionally, a novel approach of using plant systems for removing high concentrations of indoor air pollutants such as cigarette smoke, organic solvents, and possibly radon has been designed from this work. This air filter design combines plants with an activated carbon filter as shown in Figure 1. The rationale for this design, which evolved from wastewater treatment studies, is based on moving large volumes of contaminated air through an activated carbon bed where smoke, organic chemicals, pathogenic microorganisms (if present), and possibly radon are absorbed by the carbon filter. Plant roots and their associated microorganisms then destroy the pathogenic viruses, bacteria, and the organic chemicals, eventually converting all of these air pollutants into new plant tissue.(31"37) It is believed that the decayed radon products would be taken up by the plant roots and retained in the plant tissue. Experiments are currently being conducted to test this hypothesis for NASA at the Department of Energy Oak Ridge National Laboratories in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
As NASA looks toward the possibility of sealing people inside a Space Station, or moon base, along with large numbers of plants the ecology of such a closed environment (interactions
he first and most obvious step in reducing indoor air pollution is to reduce off-gassing from building materials and furnishings before they are allowed to be installed. The National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) identified indoor air pollution problems associated with sealed space habitats over 16 years ago.(1) Although a final solution to the trace contamination problems in these sealed environments has not been found, NASA does screen for off-gassing all new materials that are to be used in future space structures.
Another promising approach to further reducing trace levels of air pollutants inside future space habitats is the use of higher plants and their associated soil microorganisms.(28-29)
Since man's existence on Earth depends upon a life support system involving an intricate relationship with plants and their associated microorganisms, it should be obvious that when he attempts to isolate himself in tightly sealed buildings away from this ecological system, problems will arise. Even without the existence of hundreds of synthetic organic chemicals off-gassing into tightly sealed environments, man's own waste products would cause indoor air pollution problems.
The answer to these problems is obvious. If man is to move into closed environments,
on Earth or in space, he must take along nature's life support system. This is not easily achieved, however. At John C. Stennis Space Center, NASA has been attempting to solve this ecological puzzle for over 15 years. Professor Josef Gitelson of the USSR and his team of scientists and engineers have also been working with closed ecological systems for many years in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia.(30) Only recently, however, have critical parts of this complex puzzle begun to come together. Although maintaining the balance of the complete ecological cycle involves treating and recycling sewage, toxic chemicals, and other industrial water and air pollutants, only indoor air is addressed here.
In this study the leaves, roots, soil, and associated microorganisms of plants have been evaluated as a possible means of reducing indoor air pollutants. Additionally, a novel approach of using plant systems for removing high concentrations of indoor air pollutants such as cigarette smoke, organic solvents, and possibly radon has been designed from this work. This air filter design combines plants with an activated carbon filter as shown in Figure 1. The rationale for this design, which evolved from wastewater treatment studies, is based on moving large volumes of contaminated air through an activated carbon bed where smoke, organic chemicals, pathogenic microorganisms (if present), and possibly radon are absorbed by the carbon filter. Plant roots and their associated microorganisms then destroy the pathogenic viruses, bacteria, and the organic chemicals, eventually converting all of these air pollutants into new plant tissue.(31"37) It is believed that the decayed radon products would be taken up by the plant roots and retained in the plant tissue. Experiments are currently being conducted to test this hypothesis for NASA at the Department of Energy Oak Ridge National Laboratories in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
As NASA looks toward the possibility of sealing people inside a Space Station, or moon base, along with large numbers of plants the ecology of such a closed environment (interactions
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