Helena Joyce
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. Phytoremediation is a novel strategy to absorb, adsorb, assimilate, or reduce air pollutants and improve indoor air quality using plants. Some plants have the ability to assimilate, degrade, or modify toxic pollutants in the air into less toxic ones. These plants can reduce pollutants in the air and improve air quality. They also fix carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and help decrease greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Trees are particularly effective at removing particulate matter, and some trees are markedly more effective at filtering pollutants from the air than others.
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What You'll Learn
- Trees and plants can directly remove pollutants from the air
- Phytoremediation is a novel strategy to absorb, adsorb, and reduce air pollutants
- Plants can improve air quality by filtering atmospheric pollutants like formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter
- Trees can reduce temperatures, lowering the need for air conditioning and harmful emissions
- Some plants can extract and store metal elements from the soil, cleaning the soil and limiting pollution dispersion
Trees and plants can directly remove pollutants from the air
Plants are often referred to as the "lungs" of an ecosystem because they absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen. They also act as an ecosystem's "liver", filtering atmospheric pollutants like sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide through their leaves.
Trees are particularly effective at removing PM, which comes in the form of tiny particles of organic chemicals, acids, metals, and dust emitted from fossil-fuel-burning vehicles, factories, and construction sites. Conifers, as an evergreen species, offer the best PM reduction. Urban forests can remove multiple tons of ozone, gaseous air pollution, and PM each year through direct uptake of gases or the temporary interception of airborne particles. Gaseous air pollution is removed when tiny pores on tree leaf surfaces, called stomata, take in air that includes toxic pollutants. Once inside the leaf, the gases diffuse into intercellular spaces and may react with inner-leaf surfaces, permanently converting pollutants like SO2, NO2, CO, and ozone.
Some plants are better at filtering pollution than others. For example, the snake plant, also known as mother-in-law's tongue, is known for filtering formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, toluene, and benzene from the air. Bamboo Palm is another plant that filters out these pollutants effectively.
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Phytoremediation is a novel strategy to absorb, adsorb, and reduce air pollutants
Air pollution is a pressing issue that poses a significant threat to human health worldwide. Traditional methods of reducing air pollution can be costly and often require specialised equipment. Phytoremediation, a novel strategy that uses plants and associated microorganisms, offers a simple, effective, and low-cost solution to absorb, adsorb, and reduce air pollutants.
Phytoremediation is an environmental remediation technology that harnesses the power of plants to remove, transfer, stabilise, or destroy pollutants from the air. This natural process involves the use of plants to assimilate, degrade, or modify toxic air pollutants into less harmful forms. Plants act as the "lungs" of an ecosystem, absorbing carbon dioxide and emitting oxygen through photosynthesis, while also functioning as the "liver," filtering atmospheric pollutants like sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide through their leaves.
The effectiveness of phytoremediation in reducing air pollutants depends on the species of plant and various characteristics such as leaf size, structure, and surface texture. Bigger canopies and larger, rugged, and hairy leaves tend to trap and filter more pollutants. Some plants, like the low-maintenance snake plant, are known for their ability to filter specific pollutants like formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and benzene. Additionally, during photosynthesis, the photoelectric effect in the leaves produces negative air ions (NAIs), which help absorb dust and improve air quality.
Phytoremediation provides a cost-effective and easily implementable approach to combating air pollution. It has the potential to reduce pollutants, improve air quality, and decrease greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This technology can be particularly beneficial in urban areas, where trees and plants can directly remove pollutants and indirectly improve air quality by providing shade and reducing temperatures, thus lowering the need for conventional air conditioning.
Overall, phytoremediation is a promising strategy that utilises plants to absorb, adsorb, and reduce air pollutants, offering a nature-based solution to the global issue of air pollution. With further research and development, this technology can play a crucial role in improving air quality and promoting human wellbeing.
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Plants can improve air quality by filtering atmospheric pollutants like formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter
Plants are often referred to as the "lungs" of an ecosystem because they absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen. They also act as a natural air filter, trapping pollutants like formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter.
Formaldehyde is a common indoor air toxin, found in everything from paint thinners to adhesives and floor coverings. It is also released during cooking and smoking. The Boston fern is an excellent choice for removing formaldehyde from the air, and it is also effective at removing other toxins such as alcohols, acetone, and benzene. The Areca palm and bamboo palm are also good options for removing formaldehyde, with the added benefit of emitting water vapour to humidify dry air.
Nitrogen dioxide is another harmful pollutant that plants can help filter. In a study by the University of Birmingham, Dieffenbachia fragans (D. fragrans) was found to be particularly effective at removing nitrogen dioxide from the air.
Trees and plants are also very effective at removing particulate matter (PM) from the air. PM includes tiny particles of organic chemicals, acids, metals, and dust emitted from vehicles, factories, and construction sites. The particles come in various sizes, from larger PM10s to smaller PM2.5s and even nanoparticle pollution. The extent to which a plant can filter PM depends on its canopy size, leaf size, and leaf structure. Bigger canopies and larger, rough, rugged, and hairy leaves tend to trap more particles. Green walls have been shown to enhance the sink for pollutants and contribute to a significant drop in PM10 concentration in street canyons.
In addition to their direct impact on air quality, trees and plants can also improve air quality indirectly. They provide shade, reducing the need for conventional air conditioning and the associated emissions of greenhouse gases. Lower temperatures also decrease the risk of ground-level ozone and other harmful pollutants that are more prevalent on hot days in urban areas.
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Trees can reduce temperatures, lowering the need for air conditioning and harmful emissions
Trees are an effective way to control pollution. They can reduce temperatures, lowering the need for air conditioning and harmful emissions.
Trees can reduce temperatures through evapotranspiration, which involves taking heat from the air and using it to evaporate water within the tree. This process can lower air temperatures by 2–9°F (1–5°C). Trees can also provide shade, reducing the amount of solar energy absorbed by buildings and further lowering temperatures. This shade can reduce surface temperatures by up to 10-15 degrees.
The cooling effect of trees is influenced by factors such as tree traits, urban morphology, and climate conditions. In some cases, excessive tree planting in enclosed, humid spaces can lead to reduced cooling efficacy or thermal discomfort. However, when done thoughtfully, planting urban trees and growing urban forests can significantly reduce air temperatures in cities.
By reducing temperatures, trees can help decrease the need for conventional air conditioning. This, in turn, reduces the emissions of greenhouse gases and harmful pollutants associated with air conditioning. Lower temperatures also decrease the risk of ground-level ozone and other pollutants that often spike on hot days in urban areas.
In addition to their temperature-lowering effects, trees directly improve air quality by filtering atmospheric pollutants through their leaves. They are particularly effective at removing particulate matter, including tiny particles of organic chemicals, acids, metals, and dust emitted from various sources such as vehicles and factories.
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Some plants can extract and store metal elements from the soil, cleaning the soil and limiting pollution dispersion
Plants can be used to clean polluted air and remove heavy metals from the soil. This process is called phytoremediation. It is a simple, cheap, and effective method to remove pollutants from the air and soil.
Some plants have the ability to extract and store metal elements from the soil, cleaning the soil, and limiting pollution dispersion. These plants are called hyperaccumulators and have the ability to absorb and store metal concentrations of up to 100–1000 times higher than typical organisms. This process is called phytoextraction and is used to physically remove metals from the soil.
Sunflowers, for example, can absorb arsenic in their roots, stems, and leaves, and they can also accumulate zinc in their tissues. This makes them ideal for addressing multiple metal contaminants simultaneously. Indian mustard, also known as Brassica, accumulates zinc and cadmium in its shoots and leaves, and mustard greens are also used for lead and cadmium extraction. Willows and willow trees are used for zinc remediation and are known to accumulate moderate levels of zinc in their tissues.
Other plants that can extract heavy metals from the soil include the Chinese brake fern and the Cretan brake fern, which are effective arsenic hyperaccumulators. Thlaspi caerulescens, or Thlaspi ochroleucum, is a zinc hyperaccumulator that can extract vast quantities of heavy metals from soils.
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Frequently asked questions
Plants control pollution by absorbing carbon dioxide and emitting oxygen. They also act as an ecosystem's "liver", filtering atmospheric pollutants like sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide through their leaves.
Different plants are better at fighting different types of indoor air pollution. The NASA Clean Air Study found that spider plants were able to remove 95% of chemicals from the air in 24 hours. Other plants that are good for air purification include rubber trees, snake plants, and Chinese evergreens.
Aquatic plants are capable of sequestering metals in their roots. Stinkweed (Noccaea caerulescens) and an ecotype of vulneraria (Anthyllis vulneraria) are examples of terrestrial plants that carry out a natural phytoextraction process.
