Preliminary study of growth and CO2 capture by indoor plants (Sansevieria trifasciata)

Residents of urban areas stay around 80% of their time in indoor spaces, where air quality has a relevant influence on health and job performance; specifically, CO2 is recognized as an indicator pollutant of indoor air quality, and a good ventilation. The pursuit of excellence in indoor environments, with conditions that satisfy the occupants, and reduce the symptoms of diseases related to Sick Building Syndrome (SBS), has promoted research on the use of plants as biological filters to purify the air. The CO2 capture capacity by Sansevieria trifasciata, in a controlled system through a sealed chamber, was evaluated in this research. S. trifasciata plants were acquired from their natural environment in a rural area and transplanted into plastic plant pots. Total plant leaf area was calculated fortnightly for six months using image overlay, whose processing and digitalization was made with the AutoCAD® program, version 3.4.0.4. The CO2 absorption, temperature and humidity were tested within the test chamber. With the data set obtained from the area and perimeter of the leaves, it was possible to determine the percentage of relative growth throughout the time sampled, obtaining a variation in the leaf area of 7.39% and 3.11% for the perimeter. A reduction of the initial concentration of CO2 within the sealed chamber was achieved, in up to 24.4% using S. trifasciata, during six hours at artificial light conditions of approximately 500 lux.