Meghan Hodges
Plants are often referred to as the lungs of an ecosystem because they absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen, but they also act as the liver, filtering atmospheric pollutants like sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide through their leaves. Plants called hyperaccumulators absorb high levels of pollutants without being poisoned themselves. For example, the Areca palm emits large amounts of water vapour and is extremely effective at removing toxins from the air. Gerbera daisies are also hyperaccumulators, absorbing pollutants like benzene and formaldehyde. NASA scientists determined that 15 to 18 plants in 6- to 8-inch pots can cleanse the air in an 1,800-square-foot home.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| How plants absorb pollutants | Through their leaves and roots |
| Plant parts that absorb pollutants | Leaves, roots, and microbes on leaf surfaces |
| Pollutants plants absorb | Carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene, toluene, xylene, lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, petroleum products, radioactive contaminants, and more |
| Types of plants that absorb pollutants | Hyperaccumulators, foliage plants, indoor plants, outdoor plants, trees, shrubs, flowering plants, and more |
| Examples of plants that absorb pollutants | Gerbera daisies, peace lilies, weeping fig trees, dracaena, dwarf date palms, dwarf Mugo pines, Eastern redbud trees, Indian mustard, Areca palms, Lady palms, and more |
| Factors influencing absorption | Canopy size, leaf size, leaf structure, and leaf type |
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What You'll Learn
- Plants absorb pollutants through their leaves and roots
- Some plants are hyperaccumulators, absorbing high levels of pollutants without being poisoned
- Indoor plants can remove toxins and purify the air
- Trees are particularly effective at removing particulate matter
- Plant leaves and microbes can transform pollutants into less toxic molecules
Plants absorb pollutants through their leaves and roots
Plants are often seen as the "lungs" of an ecosystem because they absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen. They also act as the ecosystem's "liver", filtering atmospheric pollutants like sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide through their leaves. Trees are particularly effective at removing particulate matter (PM), which comes in the form of tiny particles of organic chemicals, acids, metals, and dust emitted from fossil-fuel-burning vehicles and factories. The extent of this filtering activity depends on canopy size, leaf size, and leaf structure.
Some plants, called hyperaccumulators, absorb high levels of pollutants without being poisoned themselves. Hyperaccumulators take up toxins in the soil or water, including heavy metals, radioactive contaminants, or petroleum products. Plant tissues degrade these toxins, and metals are reclaimed through composting or incineration. Examples of hyperaccumulators include the Indian mustard plant, the peace lily, the weeping fig tree, the dwarf date palm, the Eastern redbud tree, and the gerbera daisy.
Recent studies have indicated that contaminated fungi attached to the roots of plants are responsible for the plant's uptake of toxic contaminants. Scientists at Nanjing Agricultural University used a contaminant called acenaphthene to demonstrate that contaminants were absorbed and dispersed into plant cells.
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Some plants are hyperaccumulators, absorbing high levels of pollutants without being poisoned
Plants are often referred to as the "'lungs' of an ecosystem because they absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen. They also act as the "liver" of an ecosystem, filtering atmospheric pollutants like sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide through their leaves.
Some plants, known as hyperaccumulators, can absorb high levels of pollutants without being poisoned. Hyperaccumulators take up toxins in the soil or water, including heavy metals, radioactive contaminants, or petroleum products, through a process called phytoremediation. The plant tissues degrade the toxins, and metals are reclaimed through composting or incineration.
Hyperaccumulators include Indian mustard (Brassica juncea), which absorbs gold, and sunflowers (Helianthus), which can extract industrial contaminants such as lead, zinc, cadmium, copper, and manganese. Other examples of hyperaccumulators are peace lilies (Spathiphyllum wallisii), which absorb benzene and formaldehyde, and weeping fig trees (Ficus benjamina), which absorb formaldehyde, toluene, and xylene.
The genetic advantage of hyperaccumulation may be that the toxic levels of heavy metals in leaves deter herbivores or increase the toxicity of other anti-herbivory metabolites. Hyperaccumulation is due to the differential gene expression and regulation of specific genes in these plants, which allow them to extract and store metals at a higher rate than non-hyperaccumulating species.
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Indoor plants can remove toxins and purify the air
Plants are often referred to as the "lungs" of an ecosystem because they absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen. They can also act as the "liver" of an ecosystem, filtering atmospheric pollutants like sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide through their leaves.
Indoor plants are particularly effective at removing toxins and purifying the air. A NASA research study from 1989 found that common houseplants perform pollution absorption efficiently under low-light conditions. The study, which placed plants in sealed chambers in the presence of specific chemicals, found that the plants removed those chemicals from the chambers. The research also concluded that foliage plants removed nearly 87% of air pollutants from sealed chambers within 24 hours.
Some plants are better at filtering pollutants than others. Hyperaccumulators, for example, are plants that absorb high levels of pollutants without being poisoned themselves. These include the peace lily, which takes up toxins such as benzene and formaldehyde with its dark-green foliage clumps. Other examples of hyperaccumulators include the dwarf date palm, which hyperaccumulates benzene, cadmium, formaldehyde, and lead, and the Indian mustard, which absorbs gold.
Other plants that are effective at removing indoor toxins include the Areca palm, which also emits large amounts of water vapour, and the Lady Palm, which is a durable palm species that adapts well to most interiors.
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Trees are particularly effective at removing particulate matter
Particulate matter comes in the form of tiny particles of organic chemicals, acids, metals, and dust emitted from fossil-fuel-burning vehicles, factories, and construction sites. The largest of these particles measure up to 10 micrometers across (PM10s), which is around a fifth of the width of a human hair. There are also PM2.5s, measuring 2.5 micrometres across, and even smaller nanoparticle pollution.
Trees can remove particulate matter by temporarily "catching" it on their leaves and stems. When it rains, the particulates are dissolved in the stormwater runoff or transferred to the soil. Trees with bigger canopies and larger, waxy, hairy leaves tend to be better at trapping particulate matter. Silver birch, yew, and elder trees are examples of species that are highly effective at capturing particles.
Urban trees, in particular, have been found to remove an estimated 711,000 metric tons of air pollution every year in the contiguous United States alone. They help to reduce air pollution in cities like New York and Beijing, and many cities are now recognizing the importance of trees in improving air quality. For example, London's mayor announced in 2019 that 7,000 trees would be planted, and Paris is planning an urban forest to improve air quality.
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Plant leaves and microbes can transform pollutants into less toxic molecules
Plants are effective agents of pollution filtration and removal. They can absorb high levels of pollutants without being poisoned themselves. This process is called phytoremediation. Some plants, called hyperaccumulators, absorb pollutants, including heavy metals, radioactive contaminants, and petroleum products.
Plant leaves, in particular, play a crucial role in absorbing and remediating air pollutants. The aerial surfaces of plants, especially leaves, cover a vast area on Earth, estimated at 4 × 108 km2, and they provide a habitat for a diverse range of bacterial cells. These leaves are adept at adsorbing or absorbing air pollutants.
Furthermore, microbes inhabiting the leaf surface and those living inside the leaves (endophytes) have the remarkable ability to biodegrade or transform pollutants into less toxic or non-toxic molecules. This process, known as phylloremediation, holds great potential for improving air quality. However, the full extent of this potential remains largely unexplored.
Research has shown that foliage plants can remove a significant amount of air pollutants within a short period. For example, the peace lily (Spathiphyllum spp. ‘Mauna Loa’) effectively removed formaldehyde, trichloroethylen, and benzene from sealed chambers in a 24-hour experiment. Plants generally absorb gaseous pollutants through small pores called leaf stomata.
In addition to the role of plant leaves, microbes in the rhizosphere, the area of soil influenced by plant roots, also contribute significantly to the reduction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor environments.
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Frequently asked questions
Some plants that absorb pollutants include the Areca palm, the Lady Palm, the Peace Lily, the Weeping Fig Tree, the Dwarf Date Palm, the Eastern Redbud Tree, the Mugo Pine, and the Gerbera Daisy.
Plants absorb gaseous pollutants through their leaves, and sometimes through their roots. The microbes on leaf surfaces and in leaves (endophytes) can biodegrade or transform pollutants into less toxic or non-toxic molecules.
Plants absorb a variety of pollutants, including carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene, and heavy metals.
Plants act as the "lungs" of an ecosystem, absorbing carbon dioxide and emitting oxygen. They also act as the ecosystem's "liver", filtering atmospheric pollutants.
Yes, trees can absorb pollutants. They are particularly effective at removing particulate matter (PM), which comes in the form of tiny particles of organic chemicals, acids, metals, and dust emitted from fossil fuel-burning vehicles and factories.
