The phytoremediation capabilities of plants is not limited to air purification

We will be examining an award-winning accomplishment of Kamal Meattle in using plants alone for office air purification in New Delhi.

But before moving on to examine his completely non-automated system, the phenomenal capabilities of plants to perform phytoremediation in more than just air purification is worth a quick review.

A Wikipedia article has addressed some of the beneficial uses of plants (phyto) in remedying polution, a process termed “phytoremediation.”

Phytoremediation (from Ancient Greek (phyto), meaning “plant”, and Latin remedium, meaning “restoring balance”) describes the treatment of environmental problems (bioremediation) through the use of plants that mitigate the environmental problem without the need to excavate the contaminant material and dispose of it elsewhere.

Phytoremediation consists of mitigating pollutant concentrations in contaminated soils, water, or air, with plants able to contain, degrade, or eliminate metals, pesticides, solvents, explosives, crude oil and its derivatives, and various other contaminants from the media that contain them.

Phytoremediation may be applied wherever the soil or static water environment has become polluted or is suffering ongoing chronic pollution. Examples where phytoremediation has been used successfully include the restoration of abandoned metal mine workings, reducing the impact of contaminants in soils, water, or air. Contaminants such as metals, pesticides, solvents, explosives,[1] and crude oil and its derivatives, have been mitigated in phytoremediation projects worldwide. Many plants such as mustard plants, alpine pennycress, hemp, and pigweed have proven to be successful at hyperaccumulating contaminants at toxic waste sites.

Over the past 20 years, this technology has become increasingly popular and has been employed at sites with soils contaminated with lead, uranium, and arsenic. While it has the advantage that environmental concerns may be treated in situ; one major disadvantage of phytoremediation is that it requires a long-term commitment, as the process is dependent on a plant’s ability to grow and thrive in an environment that is not ideal for normal plant growth. Phytoremediation may be applied wherever the soil or static water environment has become polluted or is suffering ongoing chronic pollution. Examples where phytoremediation has been used successfully include the restoration of abandoned metal-mine workings, reducing the impact of sites where polychlorinated biphenyls have been dumped during manufacture and mitigation of ongoing coal mine discharges.

Phytoremediation refers to the natural ability of certain plants called hyperaccumulators to bioaccumulate, degrade,or render harmless contaminants in soils, water, or air.

Source: Wikipedia on Phytoremediation.

The purification of air is a process of phytoremediation in which plants transform gases into food for their own needs.

Phytoremediation, as in the air filter, is a process whereby the plant uses the subject for which remediation is required as food in the photosynthesis process. In this process, plants chemically combine (synthesize) food from carbon dioxide and water, using energy from light. They absorb carbon dioxide, expelled by humans as we breathe, and turn carbon dioxide into sugar. When they transpire, the transpired water provides oxygen, which humans need to survive.

Source (from above): photosynthesis.

Click next page to review some of the main chemicals that Wolverton targeted for removal with plant air purification.