Plant based air purifier (for my science fair)

Ask questions about projects relating to: biology, biochemistry, genomics, microbiology, molecular biology, pharmacology/toxicology, zoology, human behavior, archeology, anthropology, political science, sociology, geology, environmental science, oceanography, seismology, weather, or atmosphere.

Moderators: AmyCowen, kgudger, bfinio, MadelineB, Moderators

Locked
28f31cfbcd174a59b03121444960343b
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2021 6:36 pm
Occupation: Student

Plant based air purifier (for my science fair)

Post by 28f31cfbcd174a59b03121444960343b »

What's the problem I want to address?: I want to address Air pollution because it can affect the respiratory system and I want it to be affordable for everyone cause not everyone can afford air purifiers. Did you know that the air you breath at home is most likely 5x worse then the air you breath outside??? My target users are everyone especially the poor.

How will I solve this problem?: I want to invent a model of an eco friendly plant based air purifier that sucks dirty air by using a small filter then purifies the air by using plants. How it works is that it sucks out dirty air with a propeller. After getting sucked by the propeller, the air is transferred to a container where the plant is stored and purifies the air. Then, cleaner air will then be produced by the greenhouse. The clean air will go through or escape through a hole on the other side of the box. This also beneficial because not everyone can afford expensive air purifiers and this one is affordable!

How do you think this can be improved? Do you think this would benefit you and society?
hummch
Former Expert
Posts: 17
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2020 9:59 am
Occupation: Student

Re: Plant based air purifier (for my science fair)

Post by hummch »

Hello,

This sounds like an interesting science fair project idea and design!

Some other questions and factors that you could consider are the types of plants that you make your project the most time and cost-efficient, how the project can measure when air is "clean", and what constitutes "clean" air.

It seems like you already have a grasp on how it could benefit you and society based on your project description!

I hope this helps. Let us know if you have any other questions.

Cat
EricBebenov24
Former Student Expert
Posts: 51
Joined: Mon Sep 09, 2019 6:25 am
Occupation: Student

Re: Plant based air purifier (for my science fair)

Post by EricBebenov24 »

Hi there,

In addition to what the other expert recommended, I would also suggest looking at the cost and effort to maintain the plants you decide to use. Do these plants require much water? Are there any soil additives that can improve the growth and overall productivity of the plants as it pertains to their purification of the air?

You can also maybe measure the productivity of the plants with regard to different conditions. Some plants prefer and thrive in different temperatures, while others need more sunlight. Is there a way for these plants to perform their intended air purification in the dark and how can you account for these instances if you are trying to purify the air in a dark room? Can you implement artificial lighting? Do more plants put together in one space improve the quality of air in that specific area? How many plants do you need to reach the productivity of an actual air purifier? Just some questions to think about!

I hope these questions help you consider different variables in your experiment and I think this is a very interesting project! It is definitely a very sustainable approach to air purification and I anticipate your positive outcomes. If you have any questions about anything I mentioned above, please feel free to ask!
cnoonan180
Expert
Posts: 98
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2019 9:33 am
Occupation: Student

Re: Plant based air purifier (for my science fair)

Post by cnoonan180 »

Hello!

This is a very useful and practical science fair project! You make a great argument as to why this invention is beneficial.

A good idea would be for you to sketch out how you want your model to look both on the outside and inside. This way, you can edit your design without using up too many materials. As other mentors mentioned, definitely research which type of plant you want to use to clean the air, and make sure to explain how the plant cleans the air so that your audience understands exactly how your model is useful. For example, simply explain that the process of photosynthesis carried out by plants causes them to absorb carbon dioxide, which is harmful to humans in large amounts, and creates oxygen, which humans need to breathe. Then you could explain that plants can absorb other toxic substances from the air through their leaves and roots, removing these toxins from the air. One term you may want to search up is "phytoremediation" which is the process of using plants to purify air, and think about how this process works as you build your model. It would be a good idea to google the term and click on google images for some good diagrams of the phytoremediation process. Let me know if you need any help understanding this process!

Here is a good resource to look at to explain how plants purify air: https://planterra.com/how-can-plants-im ... r-quality/

There are also a few houseplants that can survive in darker areas than other plants and I suggest you look into this, assuming that the inside of your model may be darker than outside of your model, but keep in mind that plants are likely to die in total darkness. You also may want to make the top of your model see-through or transparent, this way the energy from sunlight can pass through for your plant(s) to thrive and continue to photosynthesize. Also think about how fast the plant you put into your model will grow. How much space should you leave for growth?

How long will the "dirty" air stay inside the container to be cleaned? How will you time this? How will you measure if the air has been cleaned?

You may want to try adding some gas sensors to your model to give you some readings about the gases outside of the model and the gases inside of the model. This way, your project could focus on "gas pollution" in homes, such as carbon dioxide, since while it is harmful to humans in large amounts, plants absorb it to make energy and release oxygen. You could compare the levels of different gases, maybe oxygen and carbon dioxide to start, outside and inside of the model. This may help you to see how fast the plant(s) inside the model are able to photosynthesize and clean the air based on the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide. As a note, air quality testing devices can usually be found in department stores and usually aren't too expensive, so if you choose to take this project route, try checking some store websites to see what's available.

Hope this helps and reach out with any more questions!
-cnoonan180
Locked

Return to “Grades 6-8: Life, Earth, and Social Sciences”