Bronte Wells
Plants have existed on Earth for over 135 million years, providing habitats, nutrition, and oxygen for other life forms. However, with the rise of pollution, plants are now facing new challenges. While plants can absorb pollutants and help mitigate their impact on the environment, they are also vulnerable to various forms of pollution, including air pollution, water pollution, and soil pollution. This paradox raises important questions about the impact of pollution on plants and their ability to combat it.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Can plants get rid of pollution? | Yes |
| How do plants get rid of pollution? | By absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, increasing humidity by transpiring water vapour, and passively absorbing pollutants on the surface of leaves and on to the plant root-soil system. |
| What types of pollution can plants get rid of? | Air pollution, including carbon dioxide, methane, formaldehyde, benzene, trimethylamine, xylene, and ozone. |
| Are there any limits to a plant's ability to get rid of pollution? | Yes, plants have limits and can be affected by pollutants to varying degrees. |
| What happens when plants are exposed to pollution? | Their metabolism is altered, making them weak and vulnerable to disease or pest infestation. There may also be physical signs of damage, such as leaf damage (yellowing, falling leaves, or injuries), poor growth, root damage, and an inability to photosynthesize properly, resulting in stunted growth and reduced productivity. |
| What are the effects of specific types of pollution on plants? | Air pollution can cause leaf structure damage, delayed flowering, reduced yields and crop damage, and contribute to global warming. Water pollution can deny plants essential nutrients, poison soils, facilitate the growth of rival plants, kill or harm plants, and affect waterways and human health. Soil pollution can poison soils and plants, affect the food chain, and compromise human health. Light pollution can hinder flowering, affect human food sources, affect photosynthesis, and kill pollination. Acid rain can result in water pollution, harm or kill plants, disrupt their normal life, and affect humans and animals. |
What You'll Learn
Plants can remove indoor air pollution
Plants can be a great natural way to improve indoor air quality and remove pollutants. They can absorb and purify pollutants through leaf stomata and metabolic reactions. According to NASA, certain plants are capable of filtering pollutants such as formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene, and carbon monoxide. Here are some plants that can help improve your indoor air quality:
Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum): Known for removing formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene. Spider plants are easy to care for, thrive in indirect sunlight, and tolerate a range of temperatures.
Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata): Effective at removing formaldehyde, benzene, xylene, toluene, and nitrogen oxides. Snake plants are low-maintenance, tolerate low light, and require infrequent watering.
Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum): Removes formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene, xylene, and ammonia. Peace lilies prefer indirect light and consistently moist soil.
Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis miller): Known for removing formaldehyde and benzene. Aloe vera needs bright, indirect sunlight and infrequent watering.
Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata): Removes formaldehyde and xylene. Boston ferns prefer high humidity, indirect light, and regular watering.
English Ivy (Hedera helix): Effective at removing formaldehyde, benzene, xylene, and toluene. English ivy thrives in moderate light and prefers moist soil.
Rubber Plant (Ficus elastica): Known for removing formaldehyde. Rubber plants prefer bright, indirect light and moderate watering.
Golden Pothos (Epipremnum aureum): Removes formaldehyde, benzene, xylene, and toluene. Golden pothos is easy to care for, tolerates low light, and requires infrequent watering.
Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii): Effective at removing formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene, and xylene. Bamboo palms prefer indirect light and regular watering.
Dracaena (Dracaena spp.): Removes formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene, xylene, and toluene. Dracaena prefers bright, indirect light and moist soil.
Areca Palm (Dypsis lutescens): Removes formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene. Areca palms prefer bright, indirect light and regular watering.
Gerbera Daisy (Gerbera jamesonii): Known for removing benzene and trichloroethylene. Gerbera daisies need bright light and well-drained soil.
Philodendron (Philodendron spp.): Effective at removing formaldehyde. Philodendrons prefer indirect light and regular watering.
Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina): Removes formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene. Weeping figs prefer bright, indirect light and regular watering.
Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema): Known for removing formaldehyde and benzene. Chinese evergreens tolerate low light and infrequent watering.
While plants can be a great natural way to improve indoor air quality, it is important to note that they may not be as effective as air purifiers in removing high concentrations of pollutants. Additionally, some plants and plant parts can be toxic, so it is important to keep them out of the reach of children and pets.
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They can also reduce outdoor air pollution
Plants can play a significant role in reducing outdoor air pollution and improving air quality. They achieve this through various mechanisms, including direct pollutant removal, altering pollution concentrations, and reducing energy consumption in buildings.
Firstly, plants can directly remove pollutants from the air. This process, known as phytoremediation, involves the absorption and degradation of airborne pollutants through the metabolic activities of plants. The absorption primarily occurs on the surface of plants, particularly the stomata of leaves. Pollutants such as formaldehyde, benzene, trimethylamine, and xylene can be absorbed by foliar surfaces, reducing their concentrations in the indoor and outdoor environments. Large-scale plantings can also increase the oxygen content in the air, helping to maintain the balance between carbon dioxide (CO2) and oxygen (O2) and combat global warming.
Secondly, plants can alter pollution concentrations by reducing air temperature. Trees, for example, can lower air temperature, which in turn affects the concentration of pollutants in the atmosphere. This can lead to a net reduction in urban ozone formation, as indicated by studies from the USDA Forest Service.
Thirdly, plants can contribute to reducing outdoor air pollution by decreasing energy consumption in buildings. By providing shade and reducing the need for artificial cooling, plants can lower the energy required for cooling buildings, thereby reducing emissions from power sources.
Additionally, plants play a crucial role in passively absorbing pollutants on the surface of leaves and through their root-soil systems. They can also increase humidity by transpiring water vapour, which can have a positive impact on air quality.
It is important to note that while plants have a positive impact on reducing outdoor air pollution, they also have their limitations and can be affected by pollutants to varying degrees. The effectiveness of phytoremediation depends on various factors, including leaf characteristics, planting patterns, and the influence of human activities.
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Plants can purify pollutants through leaf stomata and metabolic reactions
The foliar surfaces of plants can absorb a variety of airborne pollutants, including formaldehyde, benzene, trimethylamine, and xylene, thereby reducing their concentrations in indoor environments. This process is called phytoremediation and is considered environmentally friendly and cost-effective.
Plants can also purify pollutants through metabolic reactions. Phytoremediation involves the absorption and degradation of airborne pollutants based on the metabolic activities of plants. The degradation of pollutants is facilitated by the decomposition of foreign pollutants by plant metabolites such as enzymes.
Plants play an important role in purifying pollutants from the environment, improving air quality, and making it safer and cleaner for humans and other animals.
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They can remove particulate matter by 'catching' them
Plants can remove particulate matter by catching them on their leaves and in their waxy cuticles. The adaxial surface of leaves (the upper side) collects more particulate matter than the abaxial side (the underside). The leaf trichomes (fine outgrowths) of some plant species can improve the efficiency of air purification, although this is not always the case. The presence of waxy cuticles on leaves is also considered a factor responsible for a plant's potential for air purification. However, some studies contradict this statement.
The deposition of air pollutants in plants depends on various factors, including the leaf area index, deposition velocity, pollutant concentration, and time. The leaf area index expresses the ratio of the leaf area to the area of the ground surface. Trees, with the largest leaf area index, are the most effective at depositing aerosols.
The effectiveness of particulate matter removal by plants also depends on environmental factors, such as the concentration, size, and chemical nature of the particulate matter, as well as the distance from the source of contaminants, wind speed and direction, and the design of the city infrastructure.
Overall, plants with larger leaf area indices, such as trees, are more effective at removing particulate matter from the air by catching them on their leaves and in their waxy cuticles. However, the efficiency of particulate matter removal can be influenced by various plant and environmental factors.
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Plants can reduce air temperature, thus altering pollution concentrations
Plants can reduce air temperature, which has an impact on pollution concentrations. This is one of the ways in which plants help to fight pollution, particularly air pollution.
Trees in urban forests, for example, can improve air quality by reducing air temperature. This, in turn, alters pollution concentrations. Urban forests can remove several tons of ozone, gaseous air pollution, and particulate matter each year through direct uptake of gases or by temporarily intercepting airborne particles.
Trees absorb gaseous molecules in the air through tiny pores on their leaves called stomata. Once inside the leaf, the gases diffuse into intercellular spaces and may react with inner-leaf surfaces. This means that pollutants like sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and ozone are permanently converted when inside the leaf.
In addition to reducing air temperature, plants also improve air quality by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, increasing humidity by transpiring water vapor, and passively absorbing pollutants on the surface of leaves and on the plant root-soil system.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, plants can get rid of pollution. They can absorb and purify pollutants through leaf stomata and metabolic reactions in vivo.
Plants can remove gaseous air pollution, such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and ozone, as well as particulate matter.
Plants can remove pollutants directly from the air through tiny pores on their leaves called stomata. They can also intercept airborne particles, which can then be dissolved in stormwater runoff or transferred to the soil through rain or precipitation.
