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6767656 
Journal Article 
Quantifying particulate matter accumulated on leaves by 17 species of urban trees in Beijing, China 
Xu, Y; Xu, W; Mo, L; Heal, MR; Xu, X; Yu, X 
2018 
Yes 
Environmental Science and Pollution Research
ISSN: 0944-1344
EISSN: 1614-7499 
SPRINGER HEIDELBERG 
HEIDELBERG 
25 
13 
12545-12556 
English 
29464604 
WOS:000431883500032 
Airborne particulate matter (PM) has become a serious environmental problem and harms human health worldwide. Trees can effectively remove particles from the atmosphere and improve the air quality. In this study, a washing and weighing method was used to quantify accumulation of water-soluble ions and insoluble PM on the leaf surfaces and within the wax of the leaves for 17 urban plant species (including 4 shrubs and 13 trees). The deposited PM was determined in three size fractions: fine (0.2-2.5 μm), coarse (2.5-10 μm), and large (> 10 μm). Significant differences in the accumulation of PM were detected among various species. The leaves of Platycladus orientalis and Pinus armandi were the most effective in capturing PM. Across the species, 65 and 35% of PM, on average, deposited on the leaf surface and in the wax, respectively. The greatest PM accumulation by mass on leaves was in the largest PM size fraction, while the accumulation of coarse and fine particle size fractions was smaller. Water-soluble ions accumulated on the leaf surfaces contributed 28% to the total PM mass, on average. This study demonstrated that leaves of woody plants accumulate PM differently, and the most effective plant species should be selected in urban areas for attenuating ambient PM.