Environmental modulation enhances benzene phytoremediation by Aglaonema and Dracaena in indoor settings

Indoor air pollution remains a pressing public health challenge, with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from household materials contributing to respiratory dysfunctions, neurological disorders, and increased carcinogenic risk. Among these, benzene poses a particular threat due to its established links to hematological malignancies. Addressing this issue requires scalable, low-energy purification strategies. Experiments were conducted in controlled environmental chambers using Aglaonema black and Dracaena deremensis to assess benzene removal under varying temperature and humidity conditions. This study introduces an experimental framework to assess how temperature and humidity modulate benzene phytoremediation by ornamental plants under controlled conditions. In sealed 1 m³ chambers, Aglaonema black reduced benzene levels by 92% (from 0.125 to 0.01 ppm) within 12 h., while Dracaena deremensis performed optimally at 50% humidity. These findings emphasize the importance of environmental calibration in maximizing VOC uptake and underscore the feasibility of plant-based air purification as an energy-efficient alternative to conventional technologies. This study offers a novel predictive framework that integrates environmental parameters into plant-based VOC removal modeling, enabling future application in smart building air quality systems. Further work is warranted to explore long-term performance, plant-microbe-environment interactions, and integration into architectural systems for real-world deployment. These findings support the integration of ornamental plants into smart buildings and urban air quality management strategies.