this 'tree' has the environmental benefits of a forest - solar car air purifier

Written by Chris Giles, CNNAir pollution is one of the invisible killers in the world.
According to the World Health Organization, it causes 7 million premature deaths each year, making it the largest single environmental health risk.
The problem of air quality is particularly prominent in urban areas.
More than 80% of people living in pollution monitoring areas are exposed to levels of air quality that are restricted by the super-dead who.
Considering that by 2050, 2 out of 3 people in the world will be the urban population, it is imperative to clean up the air in our city. One well-
The established way to reduce air pollutants is to plant trees because the leaves of the trees capture and absorb harmful particulate matter.
But growing new trees is not always a viable option.
That's why the mobile device "city tree" has appeared around the world, including Oslo, Paris, Brussels and Hong Kong.
There are Moss in the Sky City trees in Paris, France.
Credit: The Green City solution is less than 4 m tall per city tree, nearly 3 m wide and 2.
19 m deep with two versions: with or without a bench.
Includes displays for information or advertising. Berlin-
The invention based on the green city solution has the environmental benefits of up to 275 actual trees.
But in fact, the city tree is not a tree at all. -
This is a culture of Moss.
"The Moss culture has a larger leaf surface area than any other plant.
That means we can catch more pollutants.
Founder of green city solutions.
Tree includes Wi-
The Fi enables sensors that measure local air quality.
The huge Moss surface mounted on each tree can remove dust, sulfur dioxide and ozone gas from the air.
The installation is self-contained and requires little maintenance: the solar panels provide power, while the rain is collected into the reservoir and then pumped into the soil.
To monitor the health of Moss, urban trees have sensors that measure soil humidity, temperature and water quality.
"We also installed pollution sensors inside the unit, which helps to monitor local air quality and tell us about the efficiency of the tree. " Wu said.
Its creators say each city tree is able to absorb about 250 grams of particulate matter per day and promote greenhouse gas capture by removing 240 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.
The story of the city tree dates back to 11 years.
During his studies at Dresden University of Technology, Wu met with Victor split, mechanical engineer, and architect Burns Horus.
After graduation, they held a seminar on sustainable urban design at the University, focusing on new ways to solve urban environmental problems.
Four years ago, the three met with Peter sarengel, a graduate of horticulture production management, and the idea of the urban tree project was born.
A city tree in Brussels, Belgium.
The main challenge today is the bureaucratic barrier.
"We are installing them (the CityTrees)
In Modena, Italy, everything is planned and arranged, but now the city is hesitant about where we can install due to security reasons . "
The team also plans to introduce the "city tree-
Income countries like India tend to have higher levels of pollutants.
So far, about 20 city trees have been successfully installed, costing about $25,000 per tree.
City trees can be configured to display information or ads.
Credit: Can this really fight pollution with the Green City solution?
Gary Fuller, an air pollution expert at King's College London, believes that the concept of urban air purifiers may be too ambitious.
"Even if you have a perfect air purifier, it's hard to get in touch with the air around you," he told CNN . ".
For example, pollution from car exhaust can spread a few kilometers vertically into the air.
"First of all, it is better to try to stop the formation of pollution and perhaps clean up a bus fleet in a city," he added . ".
The inventors of the city tree say they know this and carefully choose the location of each city tree.
"Due to the limited traffic and air flow, we deliberately selected places where the pollution was serious.
We are also testing a ventilation system to create our own air flow that brings pollution to the trees.
Wu also believes that the city tree is just part of a bigger puzzle.
"Our ultimate goal is to integrate the technology of urban trees into existing buildings," he said . ".
"We dream of building a climate infrastructure so that we can adjust the air and temperature in the city.