How do AIRY pots work? With the help of specially designed slits or slats at the bottom of the AIRY pots, the air supply to the root system of the plant is improved compared to a normal pot. Through these slits the plant attracts the ambient air. At the same time, the two-chamber system of the pots works for a chimney effect - a suction is created. This allows a continuous flow of air through the Smart Substrate and up to the roots. The air passes by the roots, which purify the air. We asked ourselves how effective AIRY's planters actually clean the air of pollutants.
For our test, we placed a green lily together with the air-Q in our airtight, approximately 1 m³ gas measurement chamber. During three different test runs, a green plant was placed in different pots: 1. normal planter, 2. AIRY Pot S and 3. AIRY Pot M. The test ran for 24 hours from ten in the morning to ten in the morning of the following day. The air-purifying effect on the following air constituents was investigated: Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), particulates (PM₁ - PM₂,₅ - PM₁₀), and Relative Humidity.
What is the effect of AIRY air purifying pots on VOC?
The initial values of the practical tests were somewhat different and were 1,700 (normal cachepot), approx. 1,900 (AIRY Pot S) and 2,300 ppb (AIRY Pot M). Initially, the VOC values dropped rapidly in all test series.
Diagram development measured value carbon monoxide with the air analyzer air-Q
air-Q test result: VOC values with a normal cachepot
For the normal cachepot, a reduction from 1,700 ppb to 1,200 ppb was visible within the first hour and a half. After two hours and 20 minutes, the VOC value of the box had halved. Thereafter, the rate of decay stagnated, but the VOC level continued to decrease. Around 4 p.m., VOC levels reached their lowest swing at 600 ppb: levels had more than halved. After 6 p.m., however, they began to rise again, peaking at about 800 ppb around 3 a.m.
air-Q test result: VOC values with the AIRY Pot S
Even with the AIRY Pot S, VOC levels dropped sharply within the first two hours, reaching a low of 800 ppb. To halve the VOC level, the green lily in AIRY Pot S required only 47 MInutes instead of almost 2.5 hours. Between noon and 4 p.m., the air-Q noted an increase in VOC levels. Subsequently, VOC levels again decreased sharply, dropping to 400 ppb. After a small increase to just under 500 ppb around 9 p.m., the measured value dropped constantly, even reaching zero around 1 a.m. and remaining here until the end of the test.
air-Q test result: VOC values with the AIRY Pot M
In the third test run, the green lily started with the AIRY Pot M and the highest VOC values (2,300 ppb) in the test box. The AIRY Pot M needed only 26 minutes to halve the VOC values. Within the first two hours, the VOC value not only halved, but actually decreased by 65.22%. After a short stagnation between twelve and one o'clock, the VOC value dropped again and reached zero around four o'clock. Around nine o'clock in the evening, the values rose slightly to around 100 ppb, only to fall back towards zero again from three o'clock in the morning.
Can AIRY air-purifying pots reduce particulates ?
For all runs, the initial value of particulate matter was about 2.5 μg/m³. With all the overpots, the zero point was reached within the test period. While the measured values with the normal overpot showed many peaks and thus a constant change between increase and decrease of the particulates values, the PM values with the AIRY Pot M decreased very continuously. In the test with the AIRY Pot S, the air-Q still detected some peaks.
From the measurement evaluations, it can be seen that the particulate matter content drops 30 percent faster with the AIRY Pot S and as much as 76 percent faster with the AIRY Pot M than with a normal planter.
Do AIRY's air-purifying planters affect humidity?
All trials started with a relative humidity of just over 60% in the box. In all pots, the moisture content increased within the first three hours and reached a maximum value of 100, which did not change again until the end of the test. Thus, all plants and pots in the test were able to significantly increase humidity, contributing to healthier air. During the test, it was noticeable that the AIRY Pot M released the most water into the environment. We want to get to the bottom of this phenomenon in a detailed laboratory test.
Conclusion
Our practical tests show that the plants with an AIRY Pot clean the air of pollutants significantly more than the plants with a normal planter. In addition, the pots provide higher humidity. AIRY thus demonstrably increased the quality of the room air in the approx. 1 m³ gas measurement chamber in our laboratory test.
