A Free Christmas Gift – Air Ions

During winter, and especially throughout the Christmas season, we spend much more time indoors. While we think about the warmth of our home, decorations, food, and traditions, we rarely consider how indoor air quality shapes our mood and sense of comfort. Yet right at Christmas, we receive an unexpected gift.
These are the air ions that subtly enhance the festive atmosphere.

Interestingly, some of the sources include a real Christmas tree, candle flames, a fireplace, and even snow.

🎄 Air Ions – the Christmas Tree as an Unexpected Source

Indoor plants enhance comfort

It is well known that indoor plants improve our sense of comfort in enclosed spaces. They achieve this not only through visual and psychological effects, but also through biological and chemical processes that influence the microclimate and the Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ).

Early research on the air-cleaning benefits of plants was general in nature. More recent studies are more specific and focus on the effects of particular species.
For example, zamioculcas (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) has demonstrated the ability to reduce concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) in indoor air. Meanwhile, spathiphyllum (Spathiphyllum wallisii) has consistently shown the strongest influence on freshness and chemical air quality across multiple studies. [4][5]

These positive effects are recognised and incorporated in green building standards.
Within the Australian Green Star rating system, for instance, the IEQ category highlights potted plants as particularly beneficial for occupants. [1][2][3]

Indoor plants as sources of air ions

A recently published scientific study compared 45 popular plant species. Researchers measured the ion emission of each species individually under controlled conditions. Spathiphyllum ranked first in the number of emitted ions. Given that air ions contribute to purification, it is no surprise that Spathiphyllum remains one of the top recommended indoor plants for improving air quality. [7]

Christmas fir trees and the air ions in your home

Measurements in forest ecosystems show that evergreen coniferous forests generate higher concentrations of air ions than deciduous forests on average. This effect is associated with needle morphology, volatile organic compounds, and the specific microclimate around the tree canopy. [8][9]

Although no scientific study has isolated ion emissions from fir trees (Abies) alone, broader findings regarding forest types and leaf–needle morphology indicate that a Christmas tree — as an evergreen conifer — belongs to a group of plants whose surroundings show elevated air-ion concentrations. [8][9]

Therefore, a living, potted Christmas tree undoubtedly raises the level of ions in your home.

🕯️ Air Ions – the Flame as a Source

Fire enriches the atmosphere

People naturally feel comfortable near fire. Warmth, ambience, and the soft illumination of a flame enhance the atmosphere. However, there is another, less visible reason: air ions.

Air ions influence neurotransmission and the overall tone of the human nervous system. This is why spending time by the fireplace, near candles, or close to an open flame often brings a sense of calm and a better mood. [10][11]

Fire as an ion source

The ancient Greeks interpreted the world through four elements: earth, water, air, and fire.
Modern physics recognises four states of matter: solid, liquid, gas, and plasma.
However, each of the first three elements corresponds to the most typical form of matter in its physical state.

Less commonly known is that plasma consists of ions, and that fire acts as a source of air ions. The parallel between “fire” as an ancient element and modern knowledge of gas ionisation reveals an intuitive depth in early interpretations of nature. [13]

The flame as an air-ion generator

We usually perceive a flame as a source of light and heat. However, molecules engaged in combustion undergo short ionisation processes under high temperatures. Consequently, charged particles – ions – form within the glowing zone of the flame.

This is why even the small flame of a candle is a genuine source of ions in its immediate surroundings.

The flame in the Christmas setting

When a fireplace flares up, when candles are lit on the festive table, or when, as tradition once dictated, small candles are placed on the Christmas tree, ions are naturally generated in the room.

In Orthodox tradition, the Badnjak (Yule log) is burnt on Christmas Eve. This ritual represents yet another way of introducing flame, light, and air ions into the home during Christmas.

In other words, the flame in a living space is not merely a decorative or symbolic element.
It also acts as a natural source of air ions, measurably influencing microclimate and mood.

❄️ Air Ions – Snow

Snow and the invisible processes in the air

Behind the delicate, idyllic descent of snowflakes lie highly dynamic atmospheric processes.
Snow, whether falling or lifted by wind, creates conditions for the formation of air ions.

The process intensifies during strong winds and blizzards, when the ground is covered in loose snow. Under such conditions, wind lifts snowflakes and ice particles into the air. They travel horizontally, collide, rub against each other and exchange electrons. This triboelectric effect generates air ions. [6][12]

Research from Antarctica

The most detailed investigations of this phenomenon, known as “drifting snow”, were conducted in Antarctica — an environment almost entirely free from anthropogenic pollution.
In these conditions, scientists recorded significant changes in air-ion concentrations.

When wind speeds increased from 5 to 10 m/s, ion concentrations across all categories dropped by approximately an order of magnitude. Large ions decreased the fastest, followed by medium ions, while small ions remained the most resilient. [6]

Snowfall as a source of air ions

Altogether, these findings show that snow is not merely a passive layer on the ground. Instead, it actively participates in the atmospheric electrical balance.

In other words, snow that falls or drifts in the wind serves as a natural source of air ions, a fact clearly observed in measurements taken in some of the cleanest environments on Earth.

🏠 Is It Possible to Ensure Enough Air Ions Indoors?

Outdoor air, especially in urban environments, contains insufficient natural ions. Modern buildings are sealed and energy-efficient, but they lack adequate natural ventilation, which is inconsistent and energy-intensive.

Therefore, the new EPBD directives on building energy performance include indoor environmental quality as a mandatory parameter, encompassing indoor air quality.

SEE ALSO: EPBD: Energy-efficient buildings must ensure healthy indoor air

Natural indoor ion sources, such as plants, fireplaces, and candles, are limited and variable in their effectiveness. Combustion also reduces oxygen levels, introducing an additional challenge.

Consequently, professional practice increasingly relies on controlled air-ionisation technologies. These systems deliver the best performance when integrated into mechanical ventilation. Unlike air conditioners, such systems introduce fresh outdoor air; ideally, they operate using heat-recovery ventilation units, which save energy and reduce heating costs while ensuring healthy indoor air and lowering environmental impact.

SEE ALSO: Heat-recovery ventilation: 8 benefits for your home

Marquis Intelligence Ensures Stable Air-Ion Levels Indoors

Marquis Intelligence designs and implements bipolar air-ionisation systems in residential, commercial, hospitality, and industrial buildings. The aim is to provide a controlled, measurable, and long-term stable level of air ionisation — similar to what naturally forms near waterfalls, in forests, or in mountain air.

Our solutions combine ventilation, filtration, and advanced bipolar air ionisation, with guaranteed performance parameters and design aligned with international indoor-environment quality standards.

Marquis Intelligence employs both dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) and needlepoint (NP) ionisation technologies. Although these systems share many similarities, they differ in key functional characteristics, meaning they are not universally applicable to all indoor-air challenges.

SEE ALSO: Bipolar air ionisation: Key similarities and differences between DBD and NP technologies

Only indoor-air experts such as Marquis Intelligence understand these nuances. This is why our solutions consistently deliver measurable results, recognised through industry awards and client trust.

In 2025, The Beaumont Hotel in London, London City Airport, and the „Ferona” gynaecology hospital in Novi Sad all received awards, with excellent air quality contributing to their success, supported by Marquis Intelligence systems.

SEE ALSO: Mini case study: Impeccably clean air in a hospital in Novi Sad

🎅🏻 EPILOGUE

Perhaps Santa’s sleigh, reindeer, and presents are carried by an ionic Christmas wind!
🎄 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Literature

[1] Lyu, X. et al. (2025). Indoor plants produce negative air ions… Science of the Total Environment
[2] Gubb, C. et al. (2022). Potted plants can remove NO₂ indoors. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health
[3] Green Star – Office Interiors v1.1, IEQ-15 Indoor Plants. Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA)
[4] Gubb, C. et al. (2022). Potted plants can remove NO₂ indoors. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health

[5] Chatakul, P., Janpathompong, S., et al. (2023). Interior plants: Trends, species, and their benefits
[6] Kamra, A. K., Siingh, D., & Pant, V. (2009). Scavenging of atmospheric ions and aerosols by drifting snow in Antarctica. Atmospheric Research
[7] Lyu, X. et al. (2025). Comparative analysis of 45 indoor plant species and their net negative air ion emission. Science of the Total Environment
[8] Wang, L. et al. (2019). Negative Air Ion Effect of Six Typical Subtropical Tree Species. Peer-review study
[9] Li, J. et al. (2025). Forest ecosystems as natural sources of oxygen ions: interactions with photosynthesis, humidity, and microclimate. Scientific Reports / MDPI Forests review

[10] A. P. Krueger & E. J. Reed (1976). Biological impact of air ions. Science
[11] Y. Sulman et al. (1974). Effect of air ions on neurotransmitters and mood regulation. Journal of Applied Physiology
[12] Latham, J. (1964). The electrification of snowstorms and the electrification of blowing snow. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society
[13] Ivanka D. Holclajtner-Antunović. Opšti kurs fizičke hemije. (poglavlje: Stanje gasne plazme / plamen i jonizacija gasova)