Botanical air filtration system and method
AssigneePurdue Research Foundation
InventorWilliam Joseph Hutzel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and process for filtering air by removing pollutants from the air with living plants. The system includes an enclosure, a wall within the enclosure on which living plants are supported and grow in one or more horizontal plant beds defining vertical tiers along the wall, an irrigation system for watering the plants, and a lighting system for simulating sunlight. Air moving through the enclosure flows adjacent leaves of the plants, through a growth media in the plant bed, and then out of the enclosure.
Claims20
A botanical air filtration system comprising:
- an enclosure;
- a wall within the enclosure;
- two or more horizontal plant beds on which living plants are supported and grow within the enclosure, the plant beds being arranged in vertical tiers along the wall, each of the plant beds comprising a growth media and a tray that contains the growth media, each of the trays having a bottom surface that supports the growth media and holes in the bottom surface through which air moving through the plant bed is able to flow downwardly through the growth media and then exit the plant bed through the bottom surface of the tray;
- an airflow pattern within the enclosure wherein air moving through the enclosure flows horizontally across each of the plant beds from a front of the tray thereof to a back of the tray thereof, over and through leaves of the plants of the plant beds, then downwardly through the growth media, then downwardly through the holes in the bottom surface of the tray, and then out of the enclosure, the holes in the bottom surface of each of the trays defining a hole pattern that promotes a uniform air flow across the tray;
- an irrigation system for watering the plants;
- and
- a lighting system for simulating sunlight.
A method of using a botanical air filtration system, the method comprising:
- drawing air through an enclosure of the botanical air filtration system, the enclosure having a wall within the enclosure and two or more horizontal plant beds on which living plants are supported and grow within the enclosure, the plant beds being arranged in vertical tiers along the wall, each of the plant beds comprising a growth media and a tray that contains the growth media, each of the trays having a bottom surface that supports the growth media and holes in the bottom surface through which air moving through the plant bed is able to flow downwardly through the growth media and then exit the plant bed through the bottom surface of the tray;
- wherein the air drawn through the enclosure defines an airflow pattern within the enclosure in which the air flows horizontally across each of the plant beds from a front of the tray thereof to a back of the tray thereof, over and through leaves of the plants of the plant beds, then downwardly through the growth media, then downwardly through the holes in the bottom surface of the tray, and then out of the enclosure, the holes in the bottom surface of each of the trays defining a hole pattern that promotes a uniform air flow across the tray;
- watering the plants with an irrigation system of the botanical air filtration system;
- and
- simulating sunlight for the plants with a lighting system of botanical air filtration system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.