June 12th, 2017 7:47 AM by Dan Howard
Moss Wall Cleans Air
Note by your blogger..........This news story begs the question: Why don’t talk about using plants that depend of CO2 to live to clean up the air created by burning the fossil fuels created by the cleaning of the air of CO2 to make the fossil fuel? It is all part of how the universe works.
This 'tree' has the Environmental Benefits of a Forest
By Chris Giles, CNN
Updated 9:51 PM ET, Wed June 7, 2017
The "CityTree" has the same environmental impact of up to 275 normal urban trees. Using moss cultures that have large surface leaf areas, it captures and filters toxic pollutants from the air.
Story highlights
· Urban installation uses moss to remove pollutants from air
· It offers the environmental benefit of 275 trees, its makers say
(CNN)Air pollution is one of the world's invisible killers.
It causes seven million premature deaths a year, making it the largest single environmental health risk, according to the World Health Organization.
In urban areas, air quality is particularly problematic. More than 80% of people living in areas where pollution is monitored are exposed to air quality levels that exceed WHO limits. And given that by 2050 two thirds of the global population will be urban, cleaning up our cities' air is a matter of urgency.
One well-established way to reduce air pollutants is to plant trees, as their leaves catch and absorb harmful particulates.
But planting new trees is not always a viable option.
That's why the "CityTree", a mobile installation which removes pollutants from the air, has been popping up in cities around the world, including Oslo, Paris, Brussels and Hong Kong
Each CityTree is just under 4 meters tall, nearly 3 meters wide and 2.19 meters deep, available in two versions: with or without a bench. A display is included for information or advertising.
Berlin-based Green City Solutions claims its invention has the environmental benefit of up to 275 actual trees.
But the CityTree isn't, in fact, a tree at all -- it's a moss culture.
"Moss cultures have a much larger leaf surface area than any other plant. That means we can capture more pollutants," said Zhengliang Wu, co-founder of Green City Solutions.
The CityTree includes Wi-fi enabled sensors that measure the local air quality.
The huge surfaces of moss installed in each tree can remove dust, nitrogen dioxide and ozone gases from the air. The installation is autonomous and requires very little maintenance: solar panels provide electricity, while rainwater is collected into a reservoir and then pumped into the soil.
To monitor the health of the moss, the CityTree has sensors which measure soil humidity, temperature and water quality.
"We also have pollution sensors inside the installation, which help monitor the local air quality and tell us how efficient the tree is." Wu said.
Its creators say that each CityTree is able to absorb around 250 grams of particulate matter a day and contributes to the capture of greenhouse gases by removing 240 metric tons of CO2 a year.