Innovation & Technology

Bioengineered Plants Offer Superior Indoor Air Purification

Neoplants' microbiome system uses advanced science and nature to purify indoor air 30 times more effectively than regular plants, offering a continuous and energy-efficient solution to improve air quality in homes and offices.

By Scarlett Buckley | Published 2 months ago | About a 6 minute read

Image: Neoplants

Indoor air pollution is a growing concern, significantly impacting health and wellbeing. The World Health Organization attributes about 7 million premature deaths annually to air pollution, with indoor air often two to five times more polluted than outdoor air. Common household items including furniture, cleaning products and paints release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene and formaldehyde — which can cause respiratory issues, allergies and cancer.

With the average person spending roughly 90 percent of their time indoors, improving indoor air quality is essential for public health. Paris-based startup Neoplants, founded in 2018, aims to address this issue through bioengineered houseplants designed to detoxify VOCs. Its flagship product, Neo PX, offers a sustainable and visually appealing solution that enhances air quality while blending seamlessly into home environments.

Neoplants co-founder Patrick Torbey grew up in Lebanon with a fascination for genetics — particularly, how a single DNA molecule can contain all the instructions needed to build and operate an entire living organism. This curiosity led him to France, where he earned his PhD in genome editing from the École Normale Supérieure. Frustrated by the limited use of genetic modification in big pharma and agriculture, he envisioned using the tools he had learned about to benefit everyday life. This vision led him to Entrepreneur First — a talent incubator where he met his co-founder, marketing and tech expert Lionel Mora.

Together, along with their team of 30 (20 of whom have PhDs and are engineers specializing in various fields of biotechnology and indoor air quality), they have bioengineered a plant that can purify air 30 times better than its traditional counterparts and conventional air purifiers.

“Traditional air purifiers using HEPA filters are effective against particulates but not volatile organic compounds (VOCs)," Torbey tells Sustainable Brands® (SB). “VOCs originate inside the house; so even when you turn the purifier off, pollution levels quickly rise again. While some technologies — like activated charcoal — can address VOCs, they only work when the device is running.

"Air purifiers operate only when they are turned on, and relying on them constantly isn't sustainable — both in terms of energy consumption and environmental impact. Consumers need a chronic solution for a chronic problem — something that works continuously in the background.”

Neo PX: The ‘chronic solution’

Neoplants' Neo PX offers a continuous, natural method of air purification without relying on electricity or filters. Unlike traditional air purifiers, Neo PX uses specially selected bacteria — engineered through directed evolution — to target and neutralize harmful VOCs in the air.

The process begins with identifying naturally occurring bacteria from polluted environments, where they have evolved to use VOCs as a food source. These bacteria have been further refined through “directed evolution” to maximize their ability to break down pollutants efficiently. Users introduce these bacteria to the plant's environment through "Power Drops," a special solution added to the soil. The bacteria then colonize the plant’s roots and leaves, forming a microbiome — a community of microorganisms that work symbiotically with the plant to enhance its air-cleaning abilities.

"After four years of directed evolution, we now have a system where these bacteria — when added to the soil — significantly boost the air purification capacity,” Torbey explains. “The result is a self-sustaining air-purification system that continuously reduces VOC levels without the need for electricity or mechanical filters."

To address common plant-maintenance issues such as overwatering and underwatering, Neo PX is equipped with a built-in water reservoir. Users simply refill the reservoir when the water-level indicator shows it is low, making plant care straightforward and hassle-free. To maintain peak air-purification performance, users need to replenish the bacteria every month. The powdered "Power Drops" are mixed with water and added to the soil, ensuring the bacteria population remains active and effective.

GMOs and broader benefits

While Neo PX does not currently use genetically modified plants, Torbey says Neoplants plans to incorporate genetically modified plants in future products to further increase air-cleaning efficiency. While genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have negative connotations and are generally met with skepticism by consumers, Torbey found that when their benefits in various contexts are explained, people become excited about the technology — and customers are now eager to have GMO plants in their homes because they understand the value proposition.

“Regarding GMOs, we have a strategy of transparency and communication with our consumers — we provide a clear and detailed explanation on how our GMOs are created and why it is beneficial to give the future plants and bacteria tools (new genes) to get rid of harmful VOCs,” Dona Sleiman, R&D Director at Neoplants, tells SB. “Additionally, safety and environmental concerns are addressed since the plants we are modifying don't have flowers or seeds — meaning, they cannot spread in the wild on their own. The genetic modifications we are implementing don’t give Neoplants a survival advantage compared to natural plants."

Neoplants also aims to broaden the impact of its technology to tackle climate change. By leveraging synthetic biology, the company envisions engineering plants that can absorb more greenhouse gases — helping to contribute to climate solutions.

Bioengineered plants also hold potential for pest control and disease prevention. For example, developing plants that emit natural mosquito-repelling properties — such as lemon scent — could reduce malaria incidence in regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa. Genetic modification also allows for the possibility of combining traits from different species — opening the door to plant designs that tackle environmental challenges in novel ways.

Neoplants believes these innovations can advance rapidly due to foundational technologies developed over the past five years, allowing for quicker product iteration and market entry. While developing solutions addressing everything from indoor air quality to climate change and pest control will be a challenge, Neoplants is committed to using its powers for good. Profits from current products are reinvested into research and development — underscoring the company’s dedication to widespread, sustainable impact.

"The future of Neoplants involves creating products that people love and that help them in their daily lives. Our goal is to offer plants that provide significant environmental benefits, making it a no-brainer to choose Neoplants over traditional plants,” Torbey asserts. “We're just at the cusp of understanding nature enough to build these types of products, and we believe they can have a scalable impact on both indoor air quality and climate change.”