There are many studies investigating the positive health benefits of indoor plants. The effect that always interested me most was the ability of plants to remove CO2.
Below I’ve listed the results of a study1 I came across today, that closely measures eight plants’ ability to absorb CO2 in high- and low light conditions. Before testing, the plants were also acclimatised to a high- or low light environment.
Carbon dioxide removal potential of common indoor plants, from F.R. Torpy et al. (2014).
When we look at the relative absorption rate (per leaf area), we find that the following two plants perform best in the low- and high- light conditions:
Low light: H. forsteriana
5.21 mgCO2 removed/m2 leaf area/h
Bright light: D. lutescens
657 mgCO2 removed/m2 leaf area/h
Footnotes
- Torpy, F. R., Irga, P. J., & Burchett, M. D. (2014). Profiling indoor plants for the amelioration of high CO2 concentrations. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 13(2), 227–233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2013.12.004
