Smog: from maple to birch, here are the 'dust-eating' plants

(ANSA) - ROME, JANUARY 16 - It is possible to create oases in cities to combat smog with superplants eats dust capable of capturing almost 4000 kilos of carbon dioxide (CO2) over twenty years of life, also blocking the dangerous PM10 fine particles and lowering the temperature of the surrounding environment during the hottest and most humid summers. This is underlined by Coldiretti who draws up the list of smog-eating plants.

In first place in the ranking is the Curly Maple which reaches a height of 20 meters, with a slender and straight trunk and large leaves, between 10 and 15 cm with at the end a thick curved tip from which derives the "hedgehog" designation: each specimen is capable of absorbing up to 3800 kilos of CO2 in twenty years and has an excellent overall capacity to mitigate pollution and reduce heat islands in urban environments.

Similarly, with 3100 kilos of CO2 sucked in from the air, there are then the warty birch, capable of growing on the most difficult terrains and considered a sacred tree among the Celts and the Germanic tribes, and the Cerro which can reach up to 35 meters high.

Ginkgo Biloba which is an ancient tree whose origins date back to 250 million years ago, in addition to absorbing 2800 kilos of CO2 it also boasts - underlines Coldiretti - a high barrier capacity against gas, dust and heat and has a strong adaptability to all land including urban land.

Among the anti-smog trees we find the Tiglio, the Bagolaro which is among the most long-lived with deep and firm roots like those of the field elm.

The common ash, finally specifies Coldiretti, is another green giant that can reach 40 meters while the black Alder is the smallest of the group with an average height of 10 meters but which despite its small size manages to block up to 2600 kilos of CO2 and to ensure a strong absorption of gaseous pollutants. (ANSA).