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) in 1989, to research ways to clean the air in sealed environments such as 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]
These results are not applicable to typical buildings, where outdoor-to-indoor air exchange already removes VOCs at a rate that could only be matched by the placement of 10–1000 plants/m2 of a building's floor space.[2]
The results also failed to replicate in future studies, with a 2014 review stating that:[3]
While the plant's ability to take up VOCs is well documented in laboratory studies, the effect of plants on indoor air in complex environments like offices requires further investigations to clarify the full capacity of plants in real-life settings.
List of plants studied
The following plants were tested during the initial 1989 study:[4]
- Variegated snake plant / mother-in-law's tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata laurentii)
- English ivy (Hedera helix)
- Peace lily (Spathiphyllum 'Mauna Loa')
- Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum)
- Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii)
- Red-edged dracaena, marginata (Dracaena marginata)
- Cornstalk dracaena, mass cane/corn cane (Dracaena fragrans 'Massangeana')
- Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina)[5]
- Barberton daisy, gerbera daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)
- Florist's chrysanthemum, pot mum (Chrysanthemum morifolium)
- Janet Craig (Dracaena deremensis "Janet Craig")
- Warneckei (Dracaena deremensis "Warneckei")
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,[6] further research has been done including a 1993 paper[7] and 1996 book[8] 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.[9]
Other studies
Plants studied in various similar studies on air filtration:
| Plant, removes: | benzene[10] | Total µg/h of benzene removed[10] | formaldehyde[10][8][7] | Total µg/h of formaldehyde removed[10][7] | trichloroethylene[10] | Total µg/h of trichloroethylene removed[10] | xylene and toluene[7] | ammonia[7] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwarf date palm (Phoenix roebelenii) | No | Yes[8] | 1,385[7] | No | Yes | No | ||
| Areca palm (Dypsis lutescens) | No | Yes[8] | No | Yes | No | |||
| Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata 'Bostoniensis') | No | Yes[8] | 1,863[7] | No | Yes | No | ||
| Kimberley queen fern (Nephrolepis obliterata) | No | Yes[8] | 1,328[7] | No | Yes | No | ||
| English ivy (Hedera helix) | Yes | 579 | Yes[8] | 402[10] -1,120[7] | Yes | 298 | Yes | No |
| Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) | No | Yes[10] | 560[7] | No | Yes | No | ||
| Devil's ivy, Pothos plant (Epipremnum aureum) | Yes | Yes[10] | No | Yes | No | |||
| Peace lily (Spathiphyllum 'Mauna Loa') | Yes | 1,725 | Yes[8] | 674[10] | Yes | 1,128 | Yes | Yes |
| Flamingo lily (Anthurium andraeanum) | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |||
| Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum) | Yes[8][11] | 604 | Yes[8][11] | 183[4] | No | No | No | |
| Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii) | Yes | 1,420 | Yes[10][8] | 3,196[10] | 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[8] | 1,196[4] | Yes[10] | 1,304[10] | Yes[8] | 405 | Yes | No |
| Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron cordatum) | No | Yes[10] | 353[10] | No | No | No | ||
| Selloum philodendron (Philodendron bipinnatifidum) | No | Yes[10] | 361[10] | No | No | No | ||
| Elephant ear philodendron (Philodendron domesticum) | No | Yes[10] | 416[10] | No | No | No | ||
| Red-edged dracaena (Dracaena marginata) | Yes | 1,264 | Yes[10] | 853[10] | Yes | 1,137 | Yes | No |
| Cornstalk dracaena (Dracaena fragrans 'Massangeana') | Yes | Yes[10] | 938[7] | Yes | 421 | Yes | No | |
| Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina)[5] | No | Yes[8] | 940[7] | No | Yes | No | ||
| Barberton daisy (Gerbera jamesonii) | Yes | 4,486 | Yes[8] | Yes | 1,622 | No | No | |
| Florist's chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium) | Yes | 3,205 | Yes[10][8] | 1,450[7] | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Rubber plant (Ficus elastica) | No | Yes[8] | 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[12] | Yes | No | No | No | |||
| Janet Craig (Dracaena fragrans "Janet Craig/Cornstalk Plant") | Yes[1] | 1,082 | Yes[1] | 1,361[7] - 2,037[10] | 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[10] | No | No | No |
See also
References
- BC Wolverton; WL Douglas; K Bounds (September 1989). Interior landscape plants for indoor air pollution abatement (Report). NASA. NASA-TM-101766.
- Cummings, Bryan E.; Waring, Michael S. (March 2020). "Potted plants do not improve indoor air quality: a review and analysis of reported VOC removal efficiencies". Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology. 30 (2): 253–261. doi:10.1038/s41370-019-0175-9. PMID 31695112. S2CID 207911697.
- 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.
- 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}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - 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. (1996) How to Grow Fresh Air. New York: Penguin Books.
- 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.
- Pottorff, Laura. Plants "Clean" Air Inside Our Homes. Colorado State University & Denver County Extension Master Gardener. 2010.
- 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.