Neo Px is a bioengineered tool that cleans the air inside 30 houseplants.
Neoplants, a French company, created this amazing plant that can catch, eliminate, and recover indoor toxins.
The Best Air Purification
The genome-edited Neo Px plant cleans up indoor air pollution in a way never thought of before. Lionel Mora, co-founder of Neoplants, said their product cleans the air like 30 house plants.
Bioengineered plants absorb, remove, and recycle some of the worst internal pollutants. These include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like benzene, often found after wildfires and can be made when things burn. Neo Px was five years ago when Mora met Patrick Torbey, a genome editing expert.
They wanted valuable plants, and air filtering was the most helpful trait they could offer. Mora showed them a rented garden in Lodi, California, where thousands of modified pothos plants with green and white spots were ready to be shipped.
Neoplants released Neo Px in April to reach people in the US who are interested in air purifiers. They tried, but there wasn't enough to meet demand. Mora said they try to give as many plants as possible every week, but there aren't enough.
With wildfires worsening air quality, Americans are becoming more concerned about it, increasing interest in the Neo Px facility. According to the EPA, indoor air can suffer from VOCs two to five times more than outside air from cleaners, solvents, paints, furniture, and walls.
Tracey Woodruff, a professor of reproductive studies at the University of California, San Francisco, says that VOCs are very bad for your lungs, your brain, and your reproductive health.
The Neo Px plant can clean the air because it lives harmoniously with a specific type of bacteria. Microbiome powder packets that come with the plant settle on its roots, dirt, and leaves.
Torbey, the Chief Technology Officer of Neoplants, said that microbes take in VOCs to grow and reproduce. The plant gives these bugs a place to live, which is a great way to clean the air.
New Ideas and Effects on the World in the Future
Neoplants' goal is more than just cleaning the air inside homes. The company's primary focus is on environmental problems caused by global warming. Future work will focus on improving trees' ability to collect CO2 and making seeds that can grow in dry conditions.
Torbey mentioned improving trees' ability to absorb CO2. Mora also hoped to create seeds that could survive in dry conditions.
One investor interested in this new way is Vincent Nallatamby, a product manager at Google who also owns a Neo Px facility in San Francisco. He laughed and said that he likes bringing tools home. He said this was one of the only times his wife would agree.
Neo Px is a big step forward in bioengineering. It cleans up indoor air pollution in a way that many people can use. Neoplants' "super plants" might help the earth while they develop new ideas.
Check out more news and information on Air Pollution in Science Time.
