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Plant Life Forms in Thermal Regulation and Self Purification of Urban Housing Environments

Ecology and Environmental Studies Division, Osmania University, Hyderabad, India

This article is concerned with the air quality of the closed indoor environment with respect to its temperature and carbon dioxide levels and with the assess ment of management practices that have been used to reduce temperature and carbon dioxide levels with the help of certain plants. Phanerophytic lifeforms, such as trees, shrubs, herbs and creepers surrounding dwellings can be shown to produce a cooling effect, reducing temperatures by up to 11°C. Certain succulent plants like Kalanchoe marmorata, Bryophyllum pinnata and Apicra deltoideae were observed under experimental conditions to reduce carbon dioxide levels up to 90% from closed chambers under dark conditions. Certain ornamental plants such as Verbena bipinnatifida and Ixora coccinea could remove 63-75% of carbon dioxide from closed indoor environments in the presence of light.

Key Words: Phanerophytic life forms • Succulent plants • Ornamental plants • Temperature • Carbon dioxide

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