Plants and Their Noise Absorption: Identifying most suitable plants to reduce noise via Impedance Tube Data Analysis

Abstract

Urban areas are always exposed to various noises, especially from vehicles and industrial activities. Plants on the other hand, can act as a medium that can absorb sound. To prove this, a number of plant species have been selected to measure the value of sound absorption based on the thickness, surface area, width and length of the leaves. Plant noise measurements were performed using built-in impedance tubes to identify the effectiveness of the acoustic properties of the leaves. From this study, a leaf such as Pometia Pinnata which has thicker leaves, larger surface area, width as well as longer leaf length than other leaves shows the ability to absorb more sound. Sound absorption measurements for 100% and 50% leaf quantities for Pometia Pinnata were obtained at 4.9 dBA and 4.8 dBA, respectively, which are considered to approach the expected noise attenuation levels reported at 5 - 10 dBA. The motivation from our measurement findings, can help to identify which plants are most suitable for reducing noise based on their characteristics. These measurement results are very important in the soon-to-be-developed intuitive plant tool.