Bill Wolverton
B. C. Bill Wolverton (born 1932) is an American scientist who works in chemistry, microbiology, biochemistry, marine biology, and environmental engineering. He is best known for leading NASA's Clean Air Study, which looked at how plants can clean indoor air. He earned a PhD in environmental engineering in 1978.
He grew up in rural Mississippi. After high school he served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War and later in the Air National Guard. He earned a chemistry degree from Mississippi College in 1960 and did graduate study at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, researching certain blood proteins. In 1963 he became a civilian scientist and led a lab at the Naval Weapons Laboratory, studying protection against chemical and biological warfare. In 1965 he moved to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, as Chief of the Assessments Branch of the Air Force Armament Laboratory, continuing warfare research. He also studied Marine Biology at the University of West Florida.
In 1971 NASA recruited him to lead the Environmental Research Laboratory at the Mississippi Test Facility. His work there focused on plant-based life support for space, wastewater treatment using biotechnology, and finding Earth-friendly uses for his research. After earning his PhD in 1978, he turned to indoor air quality and, with Dr. Rebecca McDonald-McCaleb, studied how interior plants remove volatile organic compounds from indoor air. Their work was published in 1984.
He was named Federal Environmental Engineer of the Year in 1983 and was an early inductee into the U.S. Space Foundation's Hall of Fame in 1988. NASA released the interior plants report in 1989, which drew worldwide attention. Wolverton wrote more than 70 scientific papers. In 1990 he left NASA and started Wolverton Environmental Services with his wife Yvonne and son John. He has lectured worldwide, written books, and earned many patents. In 2010 he was inducted into the Plantscape Industry Alliance Hall of Fame.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 10:52 (CET).