NASA Clean Air Study

NASA Clean Air Study

The NASA Clean Air Study was a project led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in association with the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) to research ways to clean the air in space stations. Its results suggested that, in addition to absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen through photosynthesis, certain common indoor plants may also provide a natural way of removing volatile organic pollutants (benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene were tested)
The study further suggested that efficient air cleaning is accomplished with at least one plant per 100 square feet (9.3 m2) of space, but was conducted under sealed space station conditions and research conducted since has shown mixed results in the home or office.

List of air-filtering plants

 English ivy (Hedera helix)

Hedera helix, the common ivy, English ivy, European ivy, or just ivy, is a species of flowering plant in the family Araliaceae, native to most of Europe and western Asia. A rampant, clinging evergreen vine, it is a familiar sight in gardens, waste spaces, on walls, tree trunks and in wild areas across its native habitat.
    

Spider plant (Chlorophytum elatum)

Chlorophytum comosum, often called spider plant but also known as airplane plant, St. Bernard's lily, spider ivy, ribbon plant,[2] and hen and chickens[3] is a species of perennial flowering plant. It is native to tropical and southern Africa, but has become naturalized in other parts of the world, including western Australia. Chlorophytum comosum is easy to grow as a houseplant; variegated forms are the most popular  

Peace lily (Spathiphyllum 'Mauna Loa')

Spathiphyllum is a genus of about 40 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to tropical regions of the Americas and southeastern Asia. Certain species of Spathiphyllum are commonly known as spath or peace lilies.They are evergreen herbaceous perennial plants with large leaves 12–65 cm long and 3–25 cm broad. The flowers are produced in a spadix, surrounded by a 10–30 cm long, white, yellowish, or greenish spathe. The plant does not need large amounts of light or water to survive.
    

Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum)

    Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii)
    Variegated Sanseviera, (Dracaena trifasciata 'Laurentii')
    Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron cordatum)
    Selloum philodendron, lacy tree philodendron (Philodendron bipinnatifidum)
    Elephant ear philodendron (Philodendron domesticum)
    Red-edged dracaena, marginata (Dracaena marginata)
    Cornstalk dracaena, mass cane/corn cane (Dracaena fragrans 'Massangeana')
    Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina)[4]
    Barberton daisy, gerbera daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)
    Florist's chrysanthemum, pot mum (Chrysanthemum morifolium)
    Aloe vera (Aloe vera)
    Janet Craig (Dracaena deremensis "Janet Craig")
    Warneckei (Dracaena deremensis "Warneckei")
    Banana (Musa oriana)