CityTrees Using Moss as Air Purifiers in Cities
CityTrees are starting to pop up in cities all around the world
The cities of our world are magnets for the people of today. A collection of living, breathing, hubs for residents and tourists alike, the world’s cities are a cultural attraction in themselves.
Sadly, they are also some of the greatest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and pollutants to our atmosphere, and with the number of cities with 1 to 5 million inhabitants projected to grow to nearly 600 by 2030, it’s time to seriously start thinking about what we can do minimize pollution levels wherever we can.
One possible solution could be moss!
A German-based company called Green City Solutions (GCS) has come up with an ingenious idea that uses moss as an in-city air purifier.
Innovative design can help keep people nearby cool.
The invention, called a CityTree, is a free-standing outdoor air cleaning system that also acts as a park bench, and uses the power of biotechnology to emulate the pollution-reduction benefits of 275 urban trees.
Each CityTree holds more than 1,600 pots of moss which extract particulate matter, soot, dirt and other pollutants from the air, and are capable of reducing pollutants by up to 30%. Studies show that they are particularly effective in cities and the walls of irrigated mosses also produce a cooling effect on the surrounding area – perfect to help fight the ever rising temperatures in our cities today.
A number of different designs are being modelled for trial.
But with moss barely able to survive in cities due to their need for constant water and shade, a solution was needed, and GCS came up with the idea of using protective plants, giving shade and producing a fully automated supply of water and nutrients.
Furthermore, the installation powers itself via solar panels, and rainwater is collected and automatically redistributed using a built-in irrigation system.
After a successful initial trial in 2018, CityTrees are now being installed in London, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Shanghai, and in a time where the world needs to act in light of imminent threats posed by climate change and global warming, CityTrees give us a glimmer of hope for the present and for the future.
About the author
