Phytoremediation of Indoor Air: Does Natural Mechanisms Application Represent the Future of Sustainable Technologies?

Abstract

The majority of the world's population is exposed to highly polluted air, with parameters exceeding the World Health Organization's guidelines. In humans, this condition causes a wide variety of diseases, leading to increased morbidity and mortality. The emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic, which is associated with a high transmission rate, exacerbated the global situation. Aerosol particles containing the SARS-CoV-2 virons are the primary transmission sources, and the risk of increased infection rates is certain indoors. Air purification and bio-decontamination using techniques such as filtration and radiation play a significant role in mitigating the virus's spread. These methods include HEPA filters, UV radiation, and ionization usage. However, these methods are costly and hard to implement in the indoor environment. Phytoremediation, an environmentally acceptable, cost-effective, and non-invasive air purification method, is becoming increasingly researched and developed. Indoor plants are considered natural filters since they can purify the air from pollutants and pathogens using methods of absorption, dilution, precipitation, and filtration depending on their morphology, growth state, and the presence of microbial communities. Plants can significantly reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by affecting the lipid mantle and decreasing virus stability through modulating indoor relative humidity. Indoor air phytoremediation requires the proper selection of plant species and optimized growth conditions. This method is flexible in various environments without any need for special investments, with the potential addition of aesthetic value.