Browsing by Author "Gonzalez, Ivan"

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    Phyto-Remediation: A Nature-Based Solution Against Poor Air Quality
    (North Dakota State University, 2024) Gonzalez, Ivan
    Wildfires, escalating in intensity each year, have plunged California into a crisis of indoor air quality, particularly during the wildfire season. This thesis dives into a potential solution: the use of exterior green walls as a respiratory system, employing phytoremediation. Phytoremediation harnesses the plant's natural ability to cleanse soil, water, and air of contaminants. The prevalence of heavy smoke, composed with particulate matter 2.5, from these increasingly fierce fires poses a significant health risk in California. This research advocates for a plant-based biological filtration system as a promising alternative to conventional methods.
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    Phytoremediation: Plant vs Filter: A Nature-Based Solution Against Poor Air Quality
    (North Dakota State University, 2023) Gonzalez, Ivan
    With an increasing number of wildfire events occurring year after year in California, one of the challenges many cities face today is the exposure to smoke produced by fires that spread faster and burn more intensely. This heavy smoke comprises gaseous pollutants, water vapor, and particle pollution, or particulate matter (PM). Particles generally 2.5 µm in diameter or smaller represent the primary pollutant in wildfire smoke and the leading health threat. The most common advice during a wildfire smoke event is to remain indoors. For this to be effective, buildings should have a tightly closed, air-conditioned space in which the air conditioner recirculates indoor air. According to the 2021 American housing survey released by the U.S. Census, San Francisco has become the least air-conditioned metro area in the U.S. The survey states that about 45% of the 1.8 million housing units have a primary air conditioning source, compared to a national average of 92%. Of those 45%, only about 34% of homes are equipped with central air, while 11% use room air conditioning. This research aims to provide an alternative nature-based solution to today's conventional HVAC systems. This research will integrate the benefits of phytoremediation, a plant's ability to remediate soil, water, and air, with a building HVAC system to combat poor air quality in the urban environment.