TheNASA Clean Air Study was a project led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in association with theAssociated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) in 1989, to research ways to clean the air in sealed environments such asspace stations. Its results suggested that, in addition to absorbingcarbon dioxide and releasingoxygen throughphotosynthesis, certain common indoor plants may also provide a natural way of removingvolatile organic pollutants (benzene,formaldehyde, andtrichloroethylene were tested).[1]
These results are not applicable to typical buildings, where outdoor-to-indoor air exchange already removesvolatile organic compounds (VOCs) at a rate that could only be matched by the placement of 10–1000 plants/m2 of a building's floor space.[2]
The results also failed to replicate in future studies, with a 2014 review stating that:[3]
While the plant's ability to take up VOCs is well documented in laboratory studies, the effect of plants on indoor air in complex environments like offices requires further investigations to clarify the full capacity of plants in real-life settings.
The following plants were tested during the initial 1989 study:[4]
Since the release of the initial 1989 study, titledA study of interior landscape plants for indoor air pollution abatement: An Interim Report,[6] further research has been done including a 1993 paper[7] and 1996 book[8] byB. C. Wolverton, the primary researcher on the original NASA study, that listed additional plants and focused on the removal of specific chemicals. A different study in 2004 has also shown that themicro-organisms in the soil of a potted plant remove benzene from the air, and that some plant species themselves also contribute to removing benzene.[9]
Plants studied in various similar studies on air filtration:
| Plant, removes: | Total μg/h ofbenzene removed[10] | Total μg/h offormaldehyde removed[10][8][7] | Total μg/h oftrichloroethylene removed[10] | xylene andtoluene[7] | ammonia[7] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwarf date palm (Phoenix roebelenii) | 0 | 1,385[7][8] | 0 | Yes | No |
| Areca palm (Dypsis lutescens) | 0 | 1[8] | 0 | Yes | No |
| Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata 'Bostoniensis') | 0 | 1,863[7][8] | 0 | Yes | No |
| Kimberley queen fern (Nephrolepis obliterata) | 0 | 1,328[7][8] | 0 | Yes | No |
| English ivy (Hedera helix) | 579 | 402[10] -1,120[7][8] | 298 | Yes | No |
| Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) | 0 | 560[7][10] | 0 | Yes | No |
| Devil's ivy, Pothos plant (Epipremnum aureum) | 0 | 1[10] | 0 | Yes | No |
| Peace lily (Spathiphyllum 'Mauna Loa') | 1,725 | 674[10][8] | 1,128 | Yes | Yes |
| Flamingo lily (Anthurium andraeanum) | 0 | 0 | 0 | Yes | Yes |
| Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum) | 604[8][11] | 183[4][8][11] | 0 | No | No |
| Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii) | 1,420 | 3,196[10][8] | 688 | Yes | No |
| Parlour Palm (Chamaedorea elegans) | 0 | 660[7] | 0 | Yes[7] | Yes[7] |
| Lady Palm (Rhapis excelsa) | 0 | 876[7] | 0 | Yes[7] | Yes[7] |
| Variegated snake plant, mother-in-law's tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata 'Laurentii') | 1,196[4][8] | 1,304[10] | 405[8] | Yes | No |
| Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron cordatum) | 0 | 353[10] | 0 | No | No |
| Selloum philodendron (Philodendron bipinnatifidum) | 0 | 361[10] | 0 | No | No |
| Elephant ear philodendron (Philodendron domesticum) | 0 | 416[10] | 0 | No | No |
| Red-edged dracaena (Dracaena marginata) | 1,264 | 853[10] | 1,137 | Yes | No |
| Cornstalk dracaena (Dracaena fragrans 'Massangeana') | 0 | 938[7][10] | 421 | Yes | No |
| Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) | 0 | 940[7][8] | 0 | Yes | No |
| Barberton daisy (Gerbera jamesonii) | 4,486 | 1[8] | 1,622 | No | No |
| Florist's chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium) | 3,205 | 1,450[7][10][8] | 0 | Yes | Yes |
| Rubber plant (Ficus elastica) | 0 | 1[8] | 0 | No | No |
| Dendrobium orchids (Dendrobium spp.) | 0 | 756[7] | 0 | Yes | No |
| Dumb canes (Dieffenbachia spp.) | 0 | 754[7] | 0 | Yes | No |
| King of hearts (Homalomena wallisii) | 0 | 668[7] | 0 | Yes | No |
| Moth orchids (Phalaenopsis spp.) | 0 | 240[7] | 0 | Yes | No |
| Aloe vera (Aloe vera) | 1[12] | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| Janet Craig (Dracaena fragrans 'Janet Craig'/Cornstalk Plant) | 1,082[1] | 1,361[7] - 2,037[10][1] | 764[1] | Yes[7] | No |
| Warneckei (Dracaena deremensis 'Warneckei') | 1,630[1] | 760[7][1] | 573[1] | Yes[7] | No |
| Banana (Musa acuminata) | 0 | 488[10][1] | 0 | No | No |