{"id":853,"date":"2016-07-27T15:01:54","date_gmt":"2016-07-27T15:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/biowall\/?page_id=853"},"modified":"2025-06-21T21:57:16","modified_gmt":"2025-06-21T21:57:16","slug":"background","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/biowall\/background\/","title":{"rendered":"Background"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pl-853\"  class=\"panel-layout\" ><div id=\"pg-853-0\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"siteorigin-panels-stretch panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-853-0\" data-stretch-type=\"full-width-stretch\" ><div id=\"pgc-853-0-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-853-0-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_black-studio-tinymce widget_black_studio_tinymce panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"0\" ><div class=\"panel-widget-style panel-widget-style-for-853-0-0-0\" ><div class=\"textwidget\"><p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-891 size-large aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/biowall\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/photo-1464029902023-f42eba355bde-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"photo-1464029902023-f42eba355bde\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/biowall\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/photo-1464029902023-f42eba355bde-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/biowall\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/photo-1464029902023-f42eba355bde-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/biowall\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/photo-1464029902023-f42eba355bde-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/biowall\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/photo-1464029902023-f42eba355bde-272x182.jpeg 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-853-0-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-853-0-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_black-studio-tinymce widget_black_studio_tinymce panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"1\" ><div class=\"panel-widget-style panel-widget-style-for-853-0-1-0\" ><div class=\"textwidget\"><h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #003300;\">Indoor Air Quality Problems<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Air tight buildings are more energy efficient, but also trap a mix of airborne contaminants that result in complaints of poor indoor air quality (IAQ).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the midst of the energy crisis of the 1970s, the building industry placed a high priority on energy consumption and conservation.\u00a0 As a result, both old and new buildings were made more energy efficient, and therefore tightly sealed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">While a tightly sealed building is more energy efficient, the buildings also trap a mix of emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from personal care products, carpeting, fabrics, pesticides, business machines, bioeffluents (emitted in the human breathing process) and airborne microbes.\u00a0 All of these factors result in complaints of poor indoor air quality (IAQ).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Many physicians associate the increase in respiratory problems and symptoms of \u201csick building syndrome\u201d with exposure to poor indoor air quality.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-853-1\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"siteorigin-panels-stretch panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-853-1\" data-stretch-type=\"full-width-stretch\" ><div id=\"pgc-853-1-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-853-1-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_black-studio-tinymce widget_black_studio_tinymce panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"2\" ><div class=\"panel-widget-style panel-widget-style-for-853-1-0-0\" ><div class=\"textwidget\"><h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #003300;\">NASA Research<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<p>The NASA scientist Dr. Bill Wolverton began to study the cleansing powers of indoor plants to recycle indoor air in airtight space capsules for deep space flight.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<p>As part of the research into \"closed ecological life support systems,\"\u00a0NASA began to study the cleansing powers of nature through the reactions taking place between plants and their root microbes.\u00a0Dr. Bill Wolverton tested the indoor plants in an airtight building called the \u201cBiohome.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<p>In 1984 NASA first published studies demonstrating that interior plants could remove VOCs from sealed test chambers.\u00a0 Results showed that most of the VOCs had been removed. \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<p>The ultimate test was the fact that occupants no longer experienced the symptoms of \"sick building syndrome.\"\u00a0 This was one of the first \"real world\" applications using interior plants to alleviate indoor air pollution.\u00a0The consequences of these pollutants are estimated to impair health and productivity.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For more information on NASA\u2019s research, click on the following link:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/spinoff.nasa.gov\/Spinoff2007\/ps_3.html\"><strong><span style=\"color: #003300;\">https:\/\/spinoff.nasa.gov\/Spinoff2007\/ps_3.html<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-853-1-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-853-1-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_black-studio-tinymce widget_black_studio_tinymce panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"3\" ><div class=\"panel-widget-style panel-widget-style-for-853-1-1-0\" ><div class=\"textwidget\"><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-870 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/biowall\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/BioHome.jpg\" alt=\"BioHome\" width=\"1000\" height=\"684\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/biowall\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/BioHome.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/biowall\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/BioHome-300x205.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/biowall\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/BioHome-768x525.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Inspired by NASA\u2019s research, Purdue researchers investigated the technology in buildings, creating the project Biowall.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-853-2\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"siteorigin-panels-stretch panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-853-2\" data-stretch-type=\"full-width-stretch\" ><div id=\"pgc-853-2-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-853-2-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_black-studio-tinymce widget_black_studio_tinymce panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"4\" ><div class=\"textwidget\"><hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/biowall\/about\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1009\" src=\"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/biowall\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/find-more-and-back-logo-2-1-e1469808828403-300x87.png\" alt=\"find more and back logo 2\" width=\"200\" height=\"58\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/biowall\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/find-more-and-back-logo-2-1-e1469808828403-300x87.png 300w, https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/biowall\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/find-more-and-back-logo-2-1-e1469808828403.png 469w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Indoor Air Quality ProblemsAir tight buildings are more energy efficient, but also trap a mix of airborne contaminants that result in complaints of poor indoor air quality (IAQ).In the midst of the energy crisis of the 1970s, the building industry placed a high priority on energy consumption and conservation.\u00a0 As a result, both old <a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/biowall\/background\/\">Read More &#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"full-width-page.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-853","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/biowall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/biowall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/biowall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/biowall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/biowall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=853"}],"version-history":[{"count":64,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/biowall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/853\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2101,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/biowall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/853\/revisions\/2101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/biowall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}