Air-Purifying Houseplants

'Neoplants' is a Paris-based startup focusing on improving houseplants' abilities to capture pollution and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air. The startup chose plants that have a large capture capacity and opted to look into ways for these plants, which already capture VOCs such as formaldehyde and benzene, to turn these compounds into a usable byproduct.

Neoplants edited the genome of the 'Pothos' plant to make it capable of transforming formaldehyde from the air into sucrose, and to transform benzene and other compounds into proteins. The plant then consumes these proteins and sugars, feeding itself and causing itself to grow larger. This process also frees up the cells in the plant's leaves, allowing it to capture more VOCs from the air, continuing the process. On a large scale, the Neoplants Pothos could have a considerable impact on air purifying.

Image Credit: Neoplants