Air pollution control is an important part of environmental quality protection for all mankind, the control methods require multiple fronts, therefore, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) has used a portion of air pollution control fund to establish the air quality purification area（hereinafter called the Aquapu Area）for tree planting, as the result, to improve the air quality of Taiwan. Since then, EPA has approved a total of 944 Aquapu areas covering an area of about 1,774.86 hectares and the shaded bike trail length of about 293 kilometers.
The content of this project is a continuous work to provide the inventory, assessment and monitoring related works of the existing and newly built Aquapu Area. Besides,we will also to aseist EPA to inspect the central inbands dividing main roads and sidewalk green pelt divisional island in counties and cities about their soil loss and to improve or cover the base land. Thirdly, we will build up a vertical greening wall demonstration project in a public long-term care institution in Taipei, Taichung and Tainan cities. To exhibit their ability to improve the quality of our living environment.
This project has also completed (1) Drafting a proposed guidelines to be used as the bases for nursery sites selection and management,(2) Carrying out various surveys of nursery management, tracking the progress of each nursery site’s implementation of the plan, the number of plants distributed, and planting locations recording, etc., and logging all these status on the agency network platform.
Different environmental conditions were set up in Da-Yo elementary school located in Yunlin to compare indoor air quality, temperature and the amount of electricity used. Preliminary results indicate the classroom with green wall not only has lower average concentration of particulate matter (PM), carbon dioxide (CO2) and formaldehyde than the classroom with nothing installed and the classroom with air purifier installed, it also has lower temperature and less electricity usage. The classroom on the second floor with window grill installed has significantly lower electricity usage when compared to the classroom without. By comparing the ambient concentration of PM2.5 around green walls facing different directions during different seasons, the green wall on the leeward side had the highest ambient PM2.5 concentration and highest PM2.5 retention rate on its leaves. The wind directions differ between seasons, and therefore the green wall with the highest ambient PM2.5 concentration and retention rate changes accordingly. SEM imaging was conducted on the leaf surface of 10 different types of plants, the plants’ PM2.5 retention rate is ranked from highest to lowest as follow, Pilea cadierei, Philodendron selloum, Schefflera arboricola, Philodendron scandensoxycardium, Trachelospermum jasminoides ‘Variegatum’, Nephrolepis exaltata, Pilea depressa, Ficus vaccinioides Hemsl. ex King, Pilea nemmulariifolia, Asparagus densiflorus ‘Sprengeri’. The factors affecting PM retention rate are the percentage of surface ridges, chemical structure and composition of the wax layer and the surface structure of leaves. The green walls in two elementary schools in Yunlin is maintained constantly, with readings of indoor air quality, relative humidity and temperature readings taken periodically. Da-Yo elementary school’s annual readings showed a average reduction of 0.72 μg·m-3 in PM2.5, 1.48 μg·m-3 PM10, 126.4 ppm decrease in CO2, 0.008 ppm in formaldehyde, and 2.2oC in temperature respectively. Average annual readings for relative humidity saw an increase of 6.4%. The green walls’ performance during a day in October with low air quality was analyzed, and the results indicate that the classroom with green wall had a lower concentration of ambient PM2.5 and PM10 when compared to the classroom without green wall. The green wall in Kaohsiung Municipal Nanzih Primary School is also maintained constantly, with readings of indoor air quality, relative humidity and temperature readings taken periodically. The results indicate an average reduction of 3.1 μg·m-3 in PM2.5, 2.8 μg·m-3 in PM10, 0.05 ppm in formaldehyde and 0.2oC in temperature. The relative humidity showed an increase of 15.9%.
We have also assisted the EPA in completion of following work:(1) creating publicity products and campaign film to promote the development of Aquapu areas. (2) One Aquapu Area maintenance assessment forum and awards ceremony for recognizing excellence in Aquapu site adoption. (3) 10 greenery promotional activities. (4) 10 “Seeding teacher” training sessions. (5) Various assistance in administrative related duties.
