ES 200 Air Quality Assignment 2

Name: Vikas Meena Roll no: 100040024 Department: Civil Engineering

Feasibility of Oxygen Cylinder Tree

Oxygen cylinder tree is seems very nice idea but there are many feasibility issues such as photosynthesis and transpiration will not take place during dark, different metabolism rates plants and human beings, plant growth rate etc. Let us discuss each of them in detail and check its feasibility. Let us see that does rate of production of O2 by plant per hour matches with intake of O2 by human beings. A resting, healthy adult on an average, cool day breathes in about 53 liters of oxygen per hour. An average, resting, health adult breathes in about 500 mL of air per breath. This is called the normal tidal volume. Now, 150 mL of this air will go to non- functioning areas of the lung, called the "dead space." The average breath rate for this average person is 12 breaths per minute. So, the amount of air breathed in by the person which is available for use is 12 x (500 mL -150 mL) = 4,200 mL/minute. Multiply by 60 to get 252,000 mL/hour. That is, every hour, the person will breathe in 252 L of air. Now, on an average, cool, clear day, only 21% of that air is oxygen. So, 21% of 252 L is 53 L. So, in an hour, the person breathes in about 53 L of oxygen. A leave produce 5 mL of oxygen in an hour. If your average plant has 30 leaves, then that would be 5 ml/leaf x 30 leaves = 150 ml/plant/hour. So, if an average person needs 53,000 ml (53 l) of oxygen per hour, and the average plant produces only 150 ml per hour. So supply doesnt meet the demand, hence the model is not feasible. As far as CO2 exchange rates are concerned, let us observe whether amount of CO2 intake of a plant per hour matches with the CO2 exhaled by a human being per hour. However, a rough estimate assuming 12 breaths per minute (resting breath rate) is 500kg. The number is easy to estimate: breaths per minute x CO2 per breath x minutes per year. From Wiki: The breath rate is 12 to 25 per minute. Size of breath is 500 mL. Percent CO2 exhaled is 4% so CO2 per breath is approx. 0.04g ( 2g/L x .04 x .5l). CO2 Per year= 12 x 0.04 x 525600 (minutes per year) = 252kg/yr CO2 (25 breaths) = 525 Kg/yr. So - pick a number between 252 Kg/yr and 525Kg/yr 1000 lbs/year (453.59 kg/yr or 1.24 kg/day) is a good approximation. From Wiki answers: Based on the average of 7.5 to 13 kg per year, divide that by 365, and you get and answer of roughly 0.020 and 0.036 kg per day.

Therefore exhaled rate is more than absorption rate so there will accumulation of CO2 in cylinder which is harmful for the person who is using oxygen tree cylinder and hence the model will not be feasible. Photosynthesis is a chemical process that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight. Photosynthesis occurs in plants, algae, and many species of bacteria, called photoautotrophs, since they can create their own food. In plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, photosynthesis uses carbon dioxide and water, releasing oxygen as a waste product. Photosynthesis is vital for all aerobic life on Earth. In addition to maintaining normal levels of oxygen in the atmosphere, photosynthesis is the source of energy for nearly all life on earth, either directly, through primary production, or indirectly, as the ultimate source of the energy in their food, the exceptions being chemoautotrophs that live in rocks or around deep sea hydrothermal vents. However, plants can't produce glucose, carbohydrates and oxygen without light. To get through the night, most plants reverse the process of photosynthesis and breathe, like you and I, by burning carbohydrates and oxygen while producing carbon dioxide and water. So surround yourself with plants during the day but remove them from your bedroom at night when you sleep. So oxygen cylinder tree is not feasible in absence of light. Transpiration is a process similar to evaporation. It is a part of the water cycle, and it is the loss of water vapor from parts of plants (similar to sweating), especially in leaves but also in stems, flowers and roots. Leaf surfaces are dotted with openings which are collectively called stomata, and in most plants they are more numerous on the undersides of the foliage. Leaf transpiration occurs through stomata, and can be thought of as a necessary "cost" associated with the opening of the stomata to allow the diffusion of carbon dioxide gas from the air for photosynthesis. Transpiration also cools plants and enables mass flow of mineral nutrients and water from roots to shoots. It will not place in dark i.e. in absence on sunlight. So plants will not able to get water and nutrients whenever it is in dark. It does not mean that it will not able to survive as during night plant does not get any sunlight but it survives. It will not be able to do photosynthesis during night, so we will not be able to use it during night or in absence of light Some of the factors which affect the plant growth need to be considered in oxygen cylinder tree are as follows: pH Level For most plant life, the most favorable pH value is between 6 - 6.8. This is not something that should consume one's time as the pH level of the hydroponic solution will change from night to day and even hour to hour. This is caused by plants taking in the nutrients and then emitting carbon dioxide at night. Light Intensity, color and photoperiod or length of day plays important role. Atmosphere Some sub-factors are oxygen, carbon dioxide and humidity.

Nutrients or Soluble Minerals Found in the soil or hydroponic solution. Temperature Both of the air and the root zone. Also, the variation between the high and low temperature plays a part in growth. Soil or Hydroponic Growing Media Particle Size The size affects the rate of drainage as well as aeration or oxygen content at the root zone. If we want to ensure plant survival we need to provide above conditions within the cylinder and it will be difficult maintain natural conditions in there. With so much advancement in science and technology it is possible but I think it will be very costly if the purpose is to be achieved.

References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transpiration http://www.highnutrients.com/limiting-factors.html http://wiki.answers.com http://answers.yahoo.com http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/newton/askasci/1993/biology/bio027.htm http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_much_CO2_can_a_tree_absorb_in_one_day