Using bioremediation to improve indoor air quality.
Step one in trying to save the world. We need food, water and air to survive.
Lets start with air. In many cities the outside air is barely breathable. This project was started to solve the problem of air quality inside buildings and work spaces of Seoul City but is relavent to any inside space in any city.
This project is a high efficiency, low energy way to dramatically improve the quality of air in our built environment.
Research done by Dr. B.C. Wolverton as part of the NASA Clean Air Study show that certain indoor plants can remove common toxic agents such as benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene from the air, greatly reducing sick building syndrome.
Common air filters meerly remove particulate matter but cannot remove toxic chemicals from the air unless outfitted with a special filter that needs replacement often, even so equipped the filter does nothing to improve the oxygen content of the air. This research shows the development of a air filter that:
1. removes and metabolizes toxins in the air
2. improves the oxygen content of the air
3. extremely low energy consumption
4. allows IOT reporting of current air quality within a space
5. Easy and cheap to maintain. Never needs a filter change
System theory.
Plants that exhibit bioremediation qualities will metabolize VOCs and other toxins at the root/soil interface. A plant in a normal pot will have a small influence in air quality improvement but is significantly handicapped.
"Early tests demonstrated that potting soil, after all foliage had been removed, was more effective in removing benzene than pots containing full foliage and soil. However, furtherstudies and careful observation determined that this phenomenon occurred only when largeamounts of foliage covered the potting soil surface, reducing contact between the soil andthe air inside the chamber. Thus, some of the lower leaves were removed, allowing maximumcontact between the soil-root zone and the chamber air containing toxic chemicals."
Wolverton, B. C., et al. Interior landscape plants for indoor air pollution abatement: final report. NASA. September, 1989
Gills.
To increase air exposure to the soil and roots we looked at nature. The pot design is inspired by fish gills which allow fish to remove stored oxygen from water. Our design is to optimize the surface area exposure of the soil/root system to the incoming air stream.
Basic System.
Using Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum) to metabolize VOC's (volatile organic compounds) in our environment. VOC's are common in new construction and badly ventilated buildings.
First Prototype.
References
http://homeopathtyler.wordpress.com/2010/06/18/phyto-remediation-using-plants-to-remove-toxins/.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_air-filtering_plants
http://www.greenenergyhelps.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Wolverton-et-al-1984.pdf
http://www.wolvertonenvironmental.com/MsAcad-93.pdf
Wolverton, B. C., et al. Interior landscape plants for indoor air pollution abatement: final report. NASA. September, 1989.
"Early tests demonstrated that potting soil, after all foliage had been removed, was more effective in removing benzene than pots containing full foliage and soil. However, furtherstudies and careful observation determined that this phenomenon occurred only when largeamounts of foliage covered the potting soil surface, reducing contact between the soil andthe air inside the chamber. Thus, some of the lower leaves were removed, allowing maximumcontact between the soil-root zone and the chamber air containing toxic chemicals."
"Data from this two-year study indicate that whenthe same plants and potting soil are constantly exposed to air containing such toxic chemicalsas benzene, their capacity to continuously clean the air improves. Thiis not surprising, since it is a well-established fact that microorganisms have the ability togenetically adapt, thereby increasing their ability to utilize toxic chemicals as a food source when continuously exposed to such chemicals. ."