Giant purifier effective against polluted air in China

New research by Dutch scientists shows that a giant 7-meter-tall air purifier could help China solve its air pollution disaster.

The giant 7-meter-tall air purifier called the "Smog Alert Tower" in the port city of Tianjin looks like a towering fan. The machine is designed to filter out pollutants in the air in this area.

Through the most recent tests, Dutch researchers concluded that the device is fully functional, although its impact range is quite small, The Fast Company reported on May 18. The assessment contributed to eliminating the skepticism of many people about the effectiveness of the machine since last year.

Giant air purifier design. Photo: Studio Roosegaarde.

The purifier was conceived by artist Daan Roosegaarde in 2015. A prototype was built in Beijing in 2016 to suck in and filter the surrounding air. Tests last year showed that the machine captured 70% of large PM10 particles in the air. Measurements showed that within 20 meters of the air purifier, PM10 dust was reduced by 45% after the machine released air. The machine also reduced PM2.5 dust by 25%.

The above parameters of the research team at Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands, are contrary to the assessment of the Environmental Journalists forum in 2016, when they said that this air filtration system brought almost no benefits.

In Tianjin, where smog forced authorities to close an airport last December, a dense network of air purifiers is not a viable idea. But Roosdegaarde still thinks it would be a good solution. The designer stresses that the prototype is just a small machine in a larger system that could provide a long-term solution to China’s pollution problem./.

According to VNE