The Smog Free Tower uses a similar technology as indoor air purifiers but is reinforced for outdoor use. Created specifically for public parks, the seven-meter-tall modular system is lightweight and sports a white, slightly tapered sculptural form. The giant smog-sucking vacuum cleaner runs on just 1,400 watts—no more electricity than a water boiler—using a low-energy patented ionization technology and LEDs to make the tower glow at night.
The Smog Free tower cleans the air by sucking in smog from the top and releasing filtered air through its six-sided vents. Here’s how it works: “By charging the Smog Free Tower with a small positive current, an electrode will send positive ions into the air. These ions will attach themselves to fine dust particles. A negatively charged surface—the counter electrode—will then draw the positive ions in, together with the fine dust particles. The fine dust that would normally harm us is collected together with the ions and stored inside of the tower. This technology manages to capture ultra-fine smog particles which regular filter systems fail to do.”
Related: China’s smog kills 4,000 people every day
The collected carbon particles in the smog dust will be compressed into high-end jewelry, like the Smog Free Ring and Smog Free Cufflinks, as tangible souvenirs. Each compressed smog cube, used as the “jewel” of each piece, contains smog filtered from 1,000 cubic meters of air. The jewelry can be purchased from their Kickstarter. The project’s launch last week marked its first pilot. Possible future locations for the Smog Free Tower include Beijing, Mexico City, Paris, and Los Angeles.
+ Studio Roosegaarde
Images via Studio Roosegaarde
