Depolluting indoor plants
For 20 years now, scientists have been adamant : some indoor plants like the aloe vera, the philodendron, ivy and the fig tree are proven to be efficient depollution agents.
Twenty years ago, Dr. William Wolverton, an American specialist in environmental science at the NASA declared that indoor plants are formidable depollution agents. This scientist's studies have been confirmed by many research teams throughout the world. They all agree that some plants eliminate chemical products present in the air, and especially formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene. These products appear in the air because of the deterioration of aging insulation, for example, but also because of the use of solvents or ammonia-based cleaning products, and cigarette smoke.
The conclusions of research on this subjuct state that no one plant can eliminate all types of pollutants. Therefore different plants must be used for total depollution.
How does it work ?
The principle of depollutioin is based on an exchange of gases. The pollutants in the air are absorbed by the leaves of a plant. The micro-organisms in the roots convert these pollutants into organic products whose role is to nourrish the plant. The plant then emits water vapour through a process called transpiration and thus improves the level of humidity and also the level of oxygen in the house. The bigger the plant, the bigger the leaves and therefore the bigger the exchange of gas is.
Which plants ?
The most efficient plants for depollution are the aloe vera and the philodendron, which eliminate 90% and 86% of formaldehyde, respectively. The lattter also eliminates pentachlorophenol. The rhododendron eliminates ammonia, the chrisanthemen eliminates trichloroethylene, the chlorophytum eliminates carbon monoxide, and ivy eliminates benzene. The most recent laboratory results found that the aglaomena neutralizes 48% of benzene and 92% of toluene, the dracaena marginata eliminates 78% of benzene and 60% of formaldehyde and the sanseviera eliminates 53% of benzene.
Specialists reckon that for maximum efficiency, at least one plant should be used for every 9m2. The bigger the plants are, the more effient they are. Plants can be placed in every room, including the bedroom. and in spite what people may think, the rejection of carbon monoxyde at night by these plants is negligeable compared to the quantiy of oxygen they emit during the day.