Green Roofs Help Rid Indoor Air Of Pollutants

An emerging trend in the construction industry is environment-inspired innovation. Windows and doors are being manufactured with energy-efficiency in mind to reduce energy bills for homeowners and increase heat retention. Energy Star-rated windows, doors, and appliances are the most desirable green items for prospective and recent home buyers, according to the National Association of Home Builders' 2019 What Home Buyers Really Want survey. Another environmental innovation is green roofing. Cleveland-based market research firm The Freedonia Group estimated the market for green roofing vegetation would reach $46.9 million by 2023.
While more widely used in commercial applications, a green roof, or vegetated roofing, has began to emerge as an option for residential roofs as well. Researchers from Portland State University have found that green roofs significantly reduce air pollution when compared with conventional roofing materials.
The researchers' experiment took place on the roof of a big-box retails store in North Portland. The team had set up measuring devices on the roof which was a combination roof, the half being a green roof, while a conventional white membrane roof makes up the other half.
The data gathered by the team showed that air coming in from the green roof area had significantly lower levels of ozone as compared to the air that came in from the conventional roof area. They concluded that this was because the air passed through the planted area and the vegetation had trapped and filtered the ozone from the outdoor air. The data was obtained when the team measured the air that came into the building from outdoor intake vents.
The team explained that the air is filtered in the way mentioned was a natural process. It is a trapping effect that is known as dry disposition which is key to removing pollutants in the atmosphere. This happens when particles in the atmosphere are deposited on the solid surfaces that it encounters. The group's experiment gives support to the concept that green roofs can reduce indoor pollution and, in effect, improve indoor air quality.

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