Bioengineered 'superplant' unveiled that purifies the air like 30 houseplants
Miscellaneous / / April 05, 2023
A live silent purifier that does not require electricity.
Biotechnology startup Neoplants introduced the plant Neo P1 is a genetically modified type Potosa, a plant that appears to be excellent at removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air.
Neo P1 has been specifically designed to capture large amounts of the four most toxic VOCs, namely formaldehyde, benzene, toluene and xylene. The genes added to its DNA cause it to produce enzymes that convert these compounds into harmless substances used by the plant. In particular, formaldehyde is converted to fructose, while benzene, toluene, and xylene are converted to amino acids.
The plant comes with a special soil that contains biochar, a charcoal-like material that is produced by heating biomass in an anoxic environment. This same biochar is home to beneficial microorganisms that are added to the soil once a month in the form of supplements called Power Drops.
These microbes get the nutrients they need for life from the plant while improving air purification efficiency - they also capture volatile organic compounds themselves, since air passes through the soil too - through the slots in the attached pot.
The air purification ratio between plant and soil varies with plant size, but should be around 50:50 when Neo P1 reaches maturity.
In addition to adding Power Drops, the plant needs to be watered. Thanks to the tank in the pot, this only needs to be done once a month in the winter and once every two weeks in the summer.
Neo P1 was highly rated $179 (≈12,500 rubles). In the kit, in addition to the pot and soil, there will be three capsules of Power Drops. When asked why not buy a simple air purifier instead, the head of Neoplants replied:
Air purifiers are great at capturing particulate matter (such as smoke), but it's much harder to capture volatile particles. organic compounds, which also cause serious health problems - most cleaners can not cope with this.
You buy a plant because it's a beautiful living thing in your home that serves many purposes that air purifiers can't. Not to mention that plants do not require electricity and do not make noise. It also works 24/7.
Lionel Mora
CEO of Neoplants
Would you like such a "super plant"?
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