Which House Plant is Most Effective at Removing

Indoor Air Toxins?

Maryam Najeeb

BACKGROUND MATERIALS AND METHODS RESULTS

Today, people spend most of their time indoors. Therefore, it is imperative to have clean, unpolluted indoor air to After conducting all four trials of the experiment, it was concluded that the plant that
maintain safe and healthy living. Plants have shown a significant difference in improving indoor air quality. However, Materials
removed the most toxins in the shortest amount of time was the Spathiphyllum
many plants have different characteristics in removing indoor air toxins. The plants included in this experiment are
plants that have been researched to know the characteristics of and what makes them effective at removing indoor air • Clear Bucket • Dracaena trifasciata • Lighter
toxins. This research and experiment's purpose and societal impact is to help humans live under safer and healthier • Spathiphyllum wallisii • Natural light wallisii (Peace Lily) with a trial time of about 6 hours and 23 minutes. This might
conditions naturally. • Incense Burner
Plants are known to purify indoor air by absorbing common Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere. • Dracaena Marginata • A device to screenshot the AQI have been because this plant requires so much water, it could practically live in a vase
However, there are many plant species out there, and they each have different characteristics that play a role in the way • Incense Sticks • Timer measures during each trial of water; therefore, it produces the most humidity, making it renew or override the
they detoxify the air and renew it by the process of Phytoremediation . NASA lists three common types of chemicals
found in indoor environments. Commonly found chemicals in indoor environments are Benzene; a chemical most • Purple Air PA-I- • Time Lapse Video (optional) existing pollutants in the air which resulted in the shortest time of all three plants.
found in paint, rubber, ink, plastic, and detergents. It is known to cause nausea, dizziness, headaches, unconsciousness,
and in some cases, bone marrow disease. The second chemical is Trichloroethylene (TCE); found in lacquers, varnish, Indoor This plant took 9 hours and 15 minutes less then the trial without any plants. The peak
printing inks, and adhesive. Lastly, Formaldehyde; a very commonly found chemical in indoor environments. It is AQI of the Spathiphyllum wallisii was 941 US EPA PM2.5 AQI in a 10 minute
found in paper bags, pressed wood, paper products, tissues, tissue paper, cleaning products, cigarette smoke, and
cooking fuels. These chemicals have been proven to be removed by certain plants. Each plant differs in the way they do Procedure average, making it the lowest peak AQI out of all the plants and trials. Despite the
this because the root and soil area of each plant consists of different bacteria that help biodegrade the toxins into a food
source. They remove toxins by the soil absorbing the air pollutants and biodegrading them into a food source for the 1. Turn the bucket over and cut three holes at the bottom for a small amount of ventilation. Spathiphyllum wallisii doing the most significant difference in removing VOCs, the
plant. This process is called phytoremediation. The research summary in NASA’s research states, “The plant root-soil 2. Check the air quality by measuring it with the Purple Air Sensor application and make sure it’s green or the AQI is rest of the plants remain very suitable plants for removing air pollution from an indoor
zone appears to be the most effective area for removing volatile organic chemicals. Therefore, maximizing air exposure
to the plant root-soil should be considered when placing in buildings for best air filtration.” (Wolverton, Johnson, between 0-40 before you start throughout all trials. environment.
Bounds 18). The Dracaena Trifasciata (Snake Plant) is a very effective plant at removing VOCs from the atmosphere.
Dracaena trifasciata contains several bacteria's in the soil such as Bacillus, Curtobacterium, Flavobacterium,
3. Place plant, Sensor, and incense burner in an indoor environment with a source of natural light (window). The Dracaena trifasciata ranked the second in removing indoor air pollution as it took
Alcaligenes, Micrococcus, Myxococcus, and Pseudomonas. These are all bacteria that biodegrade air pollutants/toxins 4. Start a time-lapse video capturing the experimental set up (optional). about 9 hours and 23 minutes. The difference in time between this trial and the trial
such as Benzene, Trichloroethylene, and Formaldehyde. As a result, these biodegraded toxins are then converted as a
food source to feed the plant, and bio regenerate the carbon dioxide by the roots growing using the process of 5. Light the incense burner using the matches (under adult supervision) and quickly cover the plant, sensor, and burner without plants is 6 hours and 15 minutes and a peak AQI of 1242 US EPA PM2.5
phytoremediation. This makes the plant capable of purifying the air and capable of using toxins and converting them under the clear bucket with the drilled holes facing up.
into a food source once root growth occurs. Dracaena trifasciata is part of the Dracaena family, one of the most AQI in a 10 minute average. This plant didn’t score as estimated before the
effective plant families that clean indoor air. 6. Record the air quality when you light up the incense burner. Use this to compare the quality after some time.
The Dracaena Marginata is part of the dracaena family, meaning it does not only remove indoor air toxins such as experimentation, but it was efficient in removing air pollutants in a fair amount of
Trichloroethylene, Benzene, and Formaldehyde, but it also gives humidity to the air. According to Mark D., “Plants
7. Start a timer for 10 minutes and check back every 10 minutes for 21 times then check back every 15 minutes for 7
time.
typically release about 97% of the water they take in.” (Dracaena - why is Dracaena good for indoors? an article by times, then check for every 30 minutes as much times until the AQI measures 0-40.
Mark.D). Marginata plants are also easy to maintain, requiring low to medium light and watering only when topsoil is The last plant which is the Dracaena Marginata, ranked as the last of the three plants
dry. Bacteria found in Marginata soil is Arthrobacter, Bacillus, and Leuconostoc. These bacterias help in the process of 8. Repeat steps 2-7 using different plants for each plant and repeat it once without a plant.
phytoremediation. to deliver clean air quality after being exposed to a high saturation of VOCs or air
The Spathiphyllum wallisii (Peace Lily) is a highly effective plant that significantly decreases indoor air pollutants. Its
soil contains bacteria such as Bacillus, Aureobacterium, Micrococcus, Pseudomonas, and Streptomyces, which help pollutants. This plant took 11 hrs and 32 minutes making the difference between this
absorb air pollutants. In the NASA trial for the Spathiphyllum wallisii, the plant removed 41,392 microorganisms from trial and the trial without the plants 4 hrs and 6 mins. It had a peak AQI of 1060 US
the chamber in which Benzene was injected, and 27,064 microorganisms in which trichloroethylene was injected. The
plants used in the trial for Benzene and Trichloroethylene had a leaf surface area of 7,960cm2. In the trial with the EPA PM2.5 AQI in a 10 minute average
chemical of Formaldehyde, the Spathiphyllum wallisii, with a leaf surface area of 8,509cm2, removed 16,167
microorganisms. Plants can override toxins by absorbing them and benefitting the plants by converting these toxins into In the trial in which no plants were used, it was proven that the plants make a
a food source to feed the plant using the process of phytoremediation.
The sensor used in this experiment is the PurpleAir PA-I-Indoor and the AQI measure was the 10 minute average US
significant difference in the air quality. The trail without the plants took 15 hours and
EPA PM2.5 AQI (United States Environmental Protection Agency atmospheric particle matter air quality index) 38 minutes. With the peak AQI at 1309 US EPA PM2.5 AQI in a 10 minute average.
All in all, plants that absorb toxins come from different plant families, each with unique characteristics that make them

CONCLUSIONS
differ from each other, providing people with different characteristics supporting their needs. Dracaena trifasciata
plants provide the environment with clean air, constant air circulation, removal of air toxins such as Benzene,
Trichloroethylene, and Formaldehyde at a significant rate, and removal of airborne allergen particles. Marginata plant
is suitable for removing the three common indoor air pollutants, provides humidity, and is easy to maintain. The last In conclusion, the plant that did the best was the Spathiphyllum wallisii because it took
plant, which is the Spathiphyllum wallisii, decreases common indoor air pollutants, keeps a clean surrounding area, and Figure 1: The Dracaena trifasciata trial before the Figure 2: The Dracaena Marginata Plant Figure 3: Screenshots of AQI during
can last for years. These plants require low maintenance and are easy to take care of. All in all, these three plants have the shortest time to get the sensor or the AQI back to normal with a trial time of 6 hours
many benefits that could promote indoor air quality.
experiment begins before the experiment begins the trial of the Dracaena trifasciata
and 23 minutes. This makes the hypothesis inaccurate while the rest of the plants did well
and they could definitely be used to help clean indoor air and remove common air
No Plant Dracaena Trifasciata Dracaena Marginata Spathiphyllum wallisii
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN 1500 1500 1200
1000
1000
pollutants. It was concluded that in each trial in which plants were used, the AQI rose to
high levels, but the plants seemed to speed the process, making them faster then the trial
800
AQI Levels

1000 1000 800

AQI Levels

AQI Levels

AQI Levels
Hypothesis: Each house plant provides a variety of different characteristics that 600 600 in which no plants were used. This means that the plants play a role in speeding up the
500 500 400 400
contribute to removing common indoor air toxins. The plant that is estimated to do 200 200 effects of toxins in an area, which also means that the exposure of toxins to humans in
0 0 0 0 this area is for a shorter duration of time. Unexpected occurrences that occurred during
the best is the Dracaena Trafasciata because it produces much oxygen during the 1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 37 40 43 46 1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 37 40 43 46 1 4 7 10131619222528313437404346 1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 37 40 43 46
night and that can renew the air, making it constantly clean despite the benefits
Time Incraments Time Incraments Time incraments Time Incraments experimentation was after taking the incense burner or when the incense burner went out,
Figure 4: No Plant trail. This trail took 15 hours and 38 Figure 5: Dracaena trifasciata trail data. This plant took 9 hours Figure 6: Dracaena Marginata trail data. This plant took Figure 7: Spathiphyllum wallisii trial. This plant took 6 hours
minutes. and 23 minutes 11 hours and 32 minutes and 23 minutes. the AQI started jumping to high levels and it multiplies and increases rapidly. This was
found in other plants. The rest of the plants are estimated to do very well due to
30-Minute Incraments noted throughout each trail. This was unexpected because the air quality wasn’t expected
their other characteristics that aid in removing indoor air toxins. 10 Minute Increments 15-Minute Increments 1400
1400
to go up after the source of the pollution left the environment. This might be because the
Independent Variable: The type of plant that will be used, the type of air quality 1400 1200
1200 1200
1000
pollution multiplies and that would make the AQI rise faster. Errors made in this
sensor, and the time of day the experiment starts 1000 AQI Levels experiment was when some screenshots weren’t captured due to forgetfulness or the
AQI Levels
AQI Levels

1000 800
800
Dependent Variable: The amount of time it will take to clean the environment 800 600 accident of stopping the timer which meant some data to be incomplete, and that caused
600 600
from the toxins, the AQI levels, and the effectiveness of each plant 400 400
400
some trials to be repeated several times.
200
Controls: The sensor in the environment, the bucket, the holes in the bucket for 200 200
0
0 0

REFERENCES
some ventilation, and the measure of air quality (US EPA PM2.5 10 minute 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Time Incraments Time Incraments
average) 10 minute Incraments
No Plant Draceana Marginata Peace Lily Snake Plant
No Plant Dracaena Marginata Peace Lily Snake Plant No Plant Dracaena Marginata Peace Lily Snake Plant
Wolverton, B. C., Johnson, A., & Bounds, K. (1989, September 15). NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS). https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19930073077
Figure 8: This is the data that was taken for every 10 minutes for 21 times far all the Figure 9: The data that was taken for all the trials for every 15 minutes 7 Figure 10: This is the data taken for every 30 minutes for as much times until the air D, M. (2016, January 12). Dracaena – Why is dracaena good for indoors? westcoastnurseries. https://www.westcoastnurseries.com/dracaena-why-is-dracaena-good-for-indoors/
trails times becomes clean again for all the trials
Frankie, Rathisa, Sulakhe, M., & Attih, E. (2018, March 17). Snake Plant: Everything You Need To Know. Retrieved September 03, 2020, from https://www.rollingnature.com/blogs/news/snake-plant-everything-you-need-to-
Dracaena Spathiphyllum Dracaena Dracaena Spathiphyllum Dracaena Dracaena Spathiphyllum Dracaena know
Experiment Results No Plant
172
Marginata
248
wallisii
235
trifasciata
34
No Plant
1290
Marginata
607
wallisii
122
trifasciata
712
No Plant
1299
Marginata
210
wallisii
48
trifasciata
170 Jyoti, D. (2018, August 31). Peace lily air purification plant & health benefits. Retrieved September 09, 2020, from https://foodthesis.com/peace-lily-air-purification-plant-health-benefits/
1400 172 248 235 509 1290 520 79 557 1131 184 43 152
Seaman, G. (2009). The Top 10 Plants for Removing Indoor Toxins. Eartheasy Guides & Articles. https://learn.eartheasy.com/articles/the-top-10-plants-for-removing-indoor-toxins/
172 521 409 509 1290 451 71 446 959 175 37 124
811 167 32 98 Environmental Protection Agency. (2020, June 8). Particulate Matter (PM10) Trends. EPA. https://www.epa.gov/air-trends/particulate-matter-pm10-trends
1200 172 521 409 509 1290 405 64 363
172 613 409 509 1290 345 61 279 686 158 82
Palermo, E. (2013, July 29). Do Indoor Plants Really Clean the Air? LiveScience. https://www.livescience.com/38445-indoor-plants-clean-air.html
585 145 55
1000 172 613 409 620 1290 291 57 229
Parhizkar, H., & Elzeyadi, I. (2020). Investigating the Impact of Plant Phytoremediation on Indoor Air Quality in Work Environments: A Meta-Analysis. ASHRAE Transactions, 126(1), 109.
497 111 38
AQI Levels

172 613 780 834 1309 260 55 194

435 86 Conrad, M. (2008). Pots of Health. Prevention, 60(4), 175.
800 172 613 780 1051
378 69
492 613 780 1159
Figure 14: Raw data of AQI for the total
309 57 Reducing indoor air pollution with houseplants. [Video]. In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from https://school-eb-com.proxygsu-scob.galileo.usg.edu/levels/high/assembly/view/246866
666 613 780 1159 trials with data taken every 15 minutes for
600 252 45 Team Airveda. (2017). What Is PM2.5 and Why Is It Important? https://www.airveda.com/blog/what-is-pm2-5-and-why-is-it-important
788 613 890 1159 7 times
205 34
400 890 613 941 1159 Becker, H. (2000). Phytoremediation: Using Plants to Clean Up Soils. (cover story). Agricultural Research, 48(6), 4.
183
981 773 827 1159
167 Graf , A. B., & Perrott, R. (2020, June 1). Houseplant. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/houseplant
200 1071 998 671 1159 154
1167 1060 523 1159 Riley, E. (2018, September 18). The Best Air-Purifying Plants for Your Home. https://www.healthline.com/health/air-purifying-plants
124
1290 1036 404 1242
0 90
1290 972 281 1204 70
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 1290 889 201 1093 55
Time Incraments 1290 801 175 963 44 All Images and pictures in this trifold were generated and created by Maryam Najeeb
1290 720 159 840 30
No Plant Dracaena Marginata Peace Lily Snake plant Figure 13: Raw data of AQI for the total trials with Figure 15: Raw data of AQI for the total trials with data taken for every 30
Figure 11: The plan sketch of the experiment.
Figure 12: The total data for all the trials of the experiment. data taken for every 10 minutes for 21 times minutes for as much times until the air becomes clean and unpolluted