Dan Newkirk – MS Defense Announcement

Improving Indoor Air Quality through Botanical Air Filtration in

Energy Efficient Residences

April 9, 2014

3:15 PM Knoy 427

Ecological Sciences and Engineering

Mechanical Engineering Technology

Abstract

According to the U.S. EPA, Americans spend 90 percent of their time indoors where indoor air is two to five times more polluted than outdoor air. Toxins in the built environment have been found to cause adverse physical and mental health effects on occupants and are estimated to cost the U.S. 125 billion dollar annually in lost productivity. As society attempts to reduce its energy consumption and avoid changes in the climate, energy efficient residences will become increasingly popular. Unfortunately these residences are sealed to reduce air leakage, which also decreases their natural ventilation. This can lead to problems in indoor air quality, and the typical solution of mechanically ventilating the residence is often energy intensive. Instead, it is proposed to “close the loop” on the system and filter the air naturally through the process of botanical air filtration. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a botanical air filter on an energy efficient residence. The botanical air filter was designed and placed in an environmental chamber where temperature, relative humidity and toxin levels were monitored. A known amount of contaminant was introduced in to the chamber, with its decay monitored both with and without the filter. It was found that botanical air filters can have a positive impact on indoor air quality and also reduce energy use in energy efficient residences.

Christal Musser

Program Coordinator

Ecological Sciences and Engineering

Office of Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs

The Purdue University Graduate School | Purdue University

Ernest C. Young Hall, Room B-40 | 155 S. Grant Street | West Lafayette, IN 47907

Email: musser@purdue.edu | Web: www.purdue.edu/ese

Phone: 765-494-2102 | Fax: 765-496-6271

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