Imagine a walk through a park on a hot summer day – the air not only feels cooler, but also fresher and cleaner than in the surrounding urban canyons. You may be wondering, “What potential do plants have for purifying the air and are they suitable for replacing professional filter media?” The ILK has investigated these questions in recent years, starting with shrubbery placed in a test channel. Its separation efficiency against the test dust Arizona fine was sobering. In further studies cushion moss showed promising separation results (see Fig 1). Based on these findings, the ILK Dresden is currently working on topics related to mosses as air filters.

Numerous further measurements were carried out under laboratory conditions and during field tests to understand the possibilities and limitations of this biological filter materials. An important focus is on the basic requirements of the moss – it should be vital and actively aerated.

Results of the investigations will be presented in more detail in the lecture.