NASA Clean Air Study
The NASA Clean Air Study was a project led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in association with the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) to research ways to clean the air in space stations. Its results suggested that, in addition to absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen through photosynthesis, certain common indoor plants may also provide a natural way of removing volatile organic pollutants (benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene were tested).[1]
One of the plants in this study is Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii)
The study further suggested that efficient air cleaning is accomplished with at least one plant per 100 square feet (9.3 m2) of space, but was conducted under sealed space station conditions and research conducted since has shown mixed results in the home or office.[2]
List of air-filtering plants
The following plants were tested during the initial 1989 study:[3]
- English ivy (Hedera helix)
- Spider plant (Chlorophytum elatum)
- Devil's ivy, Pothos plant (Epipremnum aureum)
- Peace lily (Spathiphyllum 'Mauna Loa')
- Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum)
- Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii)
- Variegated Sanseviera, (Dracaena trifasciata 'Laurentii')
- Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron cordatum)
- Selloum philodendron, lacy tree philodendron (Philodendron bipinnatifidum)
- Elephant ear philodendron (Philodendron domesticum)
- Red-edged dracaena, marginata (Dracaena marginata)
- Cornstalk dracaena, mass cane/corn cane (Dracaena fragrans 'Massangeana')
- Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina)[4]
- Barberton daisy, gerbera daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)
- Florist's chrysanthemum, pot mum (Chrysanthemum morifolium)
- Aloe vera (Aloe vera)
- Janet Craig (Dracaena deremensis "Janet Craig")
- Warneckei (Dracaena deremensis "Warneckei")
- Banana (Musa oriana)
Study Summary Table
| Plant, removes: | benzene[5] | Total µg/h of benzene removed[5] | formaldehyde[5][6][7] | Total µg/h of formaldehyde removed[5][7] | trichloroethylene[5] | Total µg/h of trichloroethylene removed[5] | xylene and toluene[7] | ammonia[7] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwarf date palm (Phoenix roebelenii) | No | Yes[6] | 1,385[7] | No | Yes | No | ||
| Areca palm (Dypsis lutescens) | No | Yes[6] | No | Yes | No | |||
| Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata 'Bostoniensis') | No | Yes[6] | 1,863[7] | No | Yes | No | ||
| Kimberley queen fern (Nephrolepis obliterata) | No | Yes[6] | 1,328[7] | No | Yes | No | ||
| English ivy (Hedera helix) | Yes | 579 | Yes[6] | 402[5] -1,120[7] | Yes | 298 | Yes | No |
| Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) | No | Yes[5] | 560[7] | No | Yes | No | ||
| Devil's ivy, Pothos plant (Epipremnum aureum) | Yes | Yes[5] | No | Yes | No | |||
| Peace lily (Spathiphyllum 'Mauna Loa') | Yes | 1,725 | Yes[6] | 674[5] | Yes | 1,128 | Yes | Yes |
| Flamingo lily (Anthurium andraeanum) | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |||
| Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum) | Yes[6][8] | 604 | Yes[6][8] | 183[3] | No | No | No | |
| Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii) | Yes | 1,420 | Yes[5][6] | 3,196[5] | Yes | 688 | Yes | No |
| Parlour Palm (Chamaedorea elegans) | Yes | Yes[7] | 660[7] | Yes | Yes[7] | Yes[7] | ||
| Lady Palm (Rhapis excelsa) | Yes | Yes[7] | 876[7] | Yes | Yes[7] | Yes[7] | ||
| Variegated snake plant, mother-in-law's tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata 'Laurentii') | Yes[6] | 1,196[3] | Yes[5] | 1,304[5] | Yes[6] | 405 | Yes | No |
| Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron cordatum) | No | Yes[5] | 353[5] | No | No | No | ||
| Selloum philodendron (Philodendron bipinnatifidum) | No | Yes[5] | 361[5] | No | No | No | ||
| Elephant ear philodendron (Philodendron domesticum) | No | Yes[5] | 416[5] | No | No | No | ||
| Red-edged dracaena (Dracaena marginata) | Yes | 1,264 | Yes[5] | 853[5] | Yes | 1,137 | Yes | No |
| Cornstalk dracaena (Dracaena fragrans 'Massangeana') | Yes | Yes[5] | 938[7] | Yes | 421 | Yes | No | |
| Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina)[4] | No | Yes[6] | 940[7] | No | Yes | No | ||
| Barberton daisy (Gerbera jamesonii) | Yes | 4,486 | Yes[6] | Yes | 1,622 | No | No | |
| Florist's chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium) | Yes | 3,205 | Yes[5][6] | 1,450[7] | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Rubber plant (Ficus elastica) | No | Yes[6] | No | No | No | |||
| Dendrobium orchids (Dendrobium spp.) | No | Yes[7] | 756[7] | No | Yes | No | ||
| Dumb canes (Dieffenbachia spp.) | No | Yes[7] | 754[7] | No | Yes | No | ||
| King of hearts (Homalomena wallisii) | No | Yes[7] | 668[7] | No | Yes | No | ||
| Moth orchids (Phalaenopsis spp.) | No | Yes[7] | 240[7] | No | Yes | No | ||
| Aloe vera (Aloe vera) | Yes[9] | Yes | No | No | No | |||
| Janet Craig (Dracaena fragrans "Janet Craig/Cornstalk Plant") | Yes[1] | 1,082 | Yes[1] | 1,361[7] - 2,037[5] | Yes[1] | 764 | Yes[7] | No |
| Warneckei (Dracaena deremensis "Warneckei") | Yes[1] | 1,630 | Yes[1] | 760[7] | Yes[1] | 573 | Yes[7] | No |
| Banana (Musa acuminata) | No | Yes[1] | 488[5] | No | No | No |
Additional research
Since the release of the initial 1989 study, titled A study of interior landscape plants for indoor air pollution abatement: An Interim Report,[10] further research has been done including a 1993 paper[7] and 1996 book[6] by B. C. Wolverton, the primary researcher on the original NASA study, that listed additional plants and focused on the removal of specific chemicals. A different study in 2004 has also shown that the micro-organisms in the soil of a potted plant remove benzene from the air, and that some plant species themselves also contribute to removing benzene.[11]
See also
References
- BC Wolverton; WL Douglas; K Bounds (September 1989). Interior landscape plants for indoor air pollution abatement (Report). NASA. NASA-TM-101766.
- Dela Cruz, M; Christensen, JH; Thomsen, JD; Müller, R (2014). "Can ornamental potted plants remove volatile organic compounds from indoor air? – a review" (PDF). Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 21 (24): 13909–13928. doi:10.1007/s11356-014-3240-x. PMID 25056742. S2CID 207272189. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
- Wolverton, B. C., et al. A study of interior landscape plants for indoor air pollution abatement: an interim report. NASA. September, 1989.
- American Society for Horticultural Science. Indoor plants can reduce formaldehyde levels. ScienceDaily. February 20, 2009. Quote: "...Complete plants removed approximately 80% of the formaldehyde within 4 hours. Control chambers pumped with the same amount of formaldehyde, but not containing any plant parts, decreased by 7.3% during the day and 6.9% overnight within 5 hours..." In reference to: Kim, J. K., et al. (2008). Efficiency of volatile formaldehyde removal by indoor plants: contribution of aerial plant parts versus the root zone. Horticultural Science 133: 479-627.
- Pottorff, Laura. Plants "Clean" Air Inside Our Homes. Colorado State University & Denver County Extension Master Gardener. 2010.
- Wolverton, B. C. (1996) How to Grow Fresh Air. New York: Penguin Books.
- Wolverton, B. C. and J. D. Wolverton. (1993). Plants and soil microorganisms: removal of formaldehyde, xylene, and ammonia from the indoor environment. Journal of the Mississippi Academy of Sciences 38(2), 11-15.
- Wolverton, B. C., et al. Interior landscape plants for indoor air pollution abatement: final report. NASA. September, 1989. pp 11-12.
- "15 houseplants for improving indoor air quality". MNN - Mother Nature Network. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
- Wolverton, B. C. (July 1989). "A study of interior landscape plants for indoor air pollution abatement: An Interim Report" (PDF). Retrieved 3 May 2020. Cite journal requires
|journal=(help) - Orwell, R.; Wood, R.; Tarran, J.; Torpy, F.; Burchett, M. (2004). "Removal of Benzene by the Indoor Plant/Substrate Microcosm and Implications for Air Quality". Water, Air, & Soil Pollution. 157 (1–4): 193–207. Bibcode:2004WASP..157..193O. doi:10.1023/B:WATE.0000038896.55713.5b. S2CID 59469964.
External links
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.