Quantifying particulate matter accumulated on leaves by 17 species of urban trees in Beijing, China

Yansen Xu, Wen Xu, Li Mo, Mathew R. Heal, Xiaowu Xu, Xinxiao Yu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Airborne particulate matter (PM) has become a serious environmental problem and harms human health worldwide. Trees can effectively remove particles from the atmosphere and improve the air quality. In this study, a washing and weighing method was used to quantify accumulation of water-soluble ions and insoluble PM on the leaf surfaces and within the wax of the leaves for 17 urban plant species (including 4 shrubs and 13 trees). The deposited PMwas determined in three size fractions: fine (0.2–2.5 μm), coarse (2.5–10 μm), and large (> 10 μm). Significant differences in the accumulation of PM were detected among various species. The leaves of Platycladus orientalis and Pinus armandi were the most effective in capturing PM. Across the species, 65 and 35%of PM, on average, deposited on the leaf surface and in the wax, respectively. The greatest PM accumulation by mass on leaves was in the largest PM size fraction, while the accumulation of coarse and fine particle size fractions was smaller.Watersoluble ions accumulated on the leaf surfaces contributed 28% to the total PM mass, on average. This study demonstrated that leaves of woody plants accumulate PM differently, and the most effective plant species should be selected in urban areas for attenuating ambient PM.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)12545-12556
Number of pages12
JournalEnvironmental science and pollution research
Volume25
Issue number13
Early online date20 Feb 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2018

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • PM10
  • PM2.5
  • Air pollution
  • deposition
  • particle capture

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