Publication
Title
Green walls for mitigating urban particulate matter pollution : a review
Author
Abstract
Air pollution caused by particulate matter (PM) is a well-known health issue in urban environments. Urban green infrastructure offers opportunities as a nature-based solution to urban PM pollution. Green walls have advantages over other types of urban green infrastructure, since they can be applied to the enormous available wall area in cities and since they do not interfere with the prevailing ventilation resulting in elevated PM levels. However, this has raised questions about the effectiveness of GW in removing PM and this could explain the limited applicability of green walls to tackle PM pollution. Nevertheless, it is suggested that green walls have a significant unexploited potential and this review article aims to address current knowledge gaps and to propose future research requirements for the implementation of green walls to mitigate urban PM pollution. An in-depth analysis is given of the mechanisms behind PM deposition and the influence of vegetation properties on this process, as well as the practices followed to model PM dispersion and deposition. It was suggested that particle deposition on green walls depends on the green wall species, pollution level, and the residence time of PM in a street (canyon). Rainfall plays an important role in the PM pathway, although it is not a necessary requirement to sustain PM deposition on plant leaves. There are still some discrepancies in the literature about the ideal plant characteristics for PM deposition in terms of the macro- and microstructures that require further investigation, especially in comparison with tree and shrub species. In addition, extensively validated models are required to accurately calculate the impact of green walls on air flow and the PM concentration on site.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Urban forestry & urban greening. - Place of publication unknown
Publication
Place of publication unknown : 2021
ISSN
1618-8667
DOI
10.1016/J.UFUG.2021.127014
Volume/pages
59 (2021) , 13 p.
Article Reference
127014
ISI
000632597600001
Medium
E-only publicatie
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Modelling and experimental validation of deposition on vegetation to facilitate urban particulate matter mitigation.
Green roofs and walls as a source for ecosystem services in future cities (ECOCITIES).
An advanced facility for assessing the impact of particulate matter (PM) mitigation strategies and technologies.
Publication type
Subject
Art 
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 26.02.2021
Last edited 13.11.2024
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