American Society for Horticultural Science (2009, February 20). Indoor Plants Can Reduce Formaldehyde Levels. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 21, 2009 Citat: "...Complete plants removed approximately 80% of the formaldehyde within 4 hours. Control chambers pumped with the same amount of formaldehyde, but not containing any plant parts, decreased by 7.3% during the day and 6.9% overnight within 5 hours..The portion of formaldehyde that was reduced during the night was most likely absorbed through a thin film on the plant's surface known as the cuticle. Root zones of ficus removed similar amounts between night and day. However, japonica root zones removed more formaldehyde at night. Researchers consider microorganisms living among the soil and root system to be a major contributor to the reduction..."
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (2011, August 19). Nitrogen in the soil cleans the air. ScienceDaily Citat: "...Researchers from the Biogeochemistry Department at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz found out that nitrogen fertilizer indirectly strengthens the self-cleaning capacity of the atmosphere...In nitrogen-rich soils the acid is formed from nitrite ions produced through microbiological transformations of ammonium and nitrate ions...they demonstrated the existence of this previously unnoticed pathway in the nitrogen cycle...The source of the high concentrations of HONO observed in the lower atmosphere had long been a mystery..."
