Atmospheric simulation chamber study on the air pollution mitigation potential of urban vegetation

As cities continue to expand, effective pollution-mitigation strategies are becoming increasingly important. This study reports the results of experiments carried out in the ChAMBRe atmospheric simulation chamber to assess the ability of three plant species, Myrtus communis, Nerium oleander, and Taxus baccata, to capture black carbon (BC) and dust. All three species exhibited a more accelerated reduction in BC and dust concentration relative to the control experiment. The decrease in BC and dust residence time was associated with the Leaf Area Density (LAD), defined as the leaf surface area (m(2)) per unit air volume (m(3)). Higher LAD values were linked to shorter atmospheric residence times for both BC and dust.