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I am searching for a list of plants which are easy to maintain, small and would produce enough oxygen for one person in a 25m² room.

Until now I just found two sources:

  1. Plants making oxygen

  2. How to Grow Your Own Fresh Air - TED 2009

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What do you mean by "enough oxygen for one person"? Are you planning a trip to space? – baka Oct 27 '11 at 12:48
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What's the lighting? No light, no oxygen, I think. Chlorella is the usual low-maintenance choice for space travel - it's what I use ;-) – Ed Staub Oct 27 '11 at 13:59
@tim Somewhat related: Suggestion for houseplants that can clean the air? – Mike Perry Oct 27 '11 at 14:05

1 Answer

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I have a great deal of skepticism about the idea that less than an acre of plants in full sun can make a substantial difference in the oxygen levels of an enclosed area. Most tropical plants that are inside are receiving from 100 to 500 lux.

Outside in the northern hemisphere on a cloudy day is around 50,000 lux.

How can you reduce the amount of light by a factor of 100 and get the same amount of photosynthesis going on? I see a commonly quoted figure of "Plant leaves produce 5 milliliters of oxygen, per leaf, each day." but I don't see under what conditions this is measured under.

I don't think you can produce enough oxygen inside a room unless the roof is glass and you fill it entirely with any type of plant.

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