Generally, what process our governments or companies have been employing to lower carbon dioxide in the air is planting more and more trees. But what about the dense cities where there is hardly any space for a hedging plant? Nevertheless, urban areas are hotspots of major air pollution, owing to their high population concentration. Luckily, a group of scientists from the University of Belgrade, Serbia has come up with a ground-breaking solution- a Liquid Tree also named LIQUID 3- a kind of photobioreactor that will tackle greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality. Interesting isn't it? What is it, how is it designed and how does it work? Read below complete details at SURFACES REPORTER (SR):
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To overcome the increasing problem of air pollution in Belgrade - which is the fourth most polluted city in Serbia- the bioreactor has been designed.
The city accumulates maximum pollution due to the two large coal power plants in its vicinity. As per the European NGO Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), these two plants are among the top 10 dirtiest plants in Europe.
According to some activists in the country, the pollution in Serbia and in other parts of the Balkan peninsula is so bad that it can be smelt, seen and even tasted during winter and autumn.
LIQUID 3 won the position as one of the 11 best innovative and climate-smart solutions by the Climate Smart Urban Development project, created by the UNDP, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and sponsored by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) owing to its functional and innovative design.
What is a Liquid Tree?
Liquid Tree is a new ingenious solution provided by scientists in Serbia which helps to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen just like the plants do. It is Serbia's first urban photo-bioreactor- a tool to combat air pollution.
As per Dr. Ivan Spasojevic, Ph.D. in Biophysical sciences one of the authors of the project from the Institute for Multidisciplinary Research at the University of Belgrade “the Institute used single-celled fresh water algae, which exist in ponds and lakes in Serbia and can grow in tap water, and are resistant to high and low temperatures."
"The system does not require special maintenance – it is enough to remove the biomass created by dividing algae, which can be used as an excellent fertilizer, in a month and a half, pour new water and minerals, and the algae continue to grow indefinitely."
"This project aims to popularize and expand the use of microalgae in Serbia, because they can be used in wastewater treatment, as compost for green areas, for the production of biomass and biofuels, as well as for air purification from exhaust gases from the factories”.
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Design details
With a height of 77 meters, the Liquid Tree features a stainless steel facade lightened up by 14000 metres of Arabic calligraphy.
How does it work?
The Liquid tree contains around six hundred litres of water and uses microalgae to absorb CO2 and produce O2 through photosynthesis. Dr Ivan Spasojevic said, “The microalgae replaces two, 10-year-old trees or 200 square metres of lawn.
The photobioreactors work similarly to trees or plants through photosynthesis. But the benefit of microalgae is that they are 10 to 50 times more efficient than trees.
"Our goal is not to replace forests but to use this system to fill those urban pockets where there is no space for planting trees, he further added.
In a nutshell, the initiative to combat air pollution in the form of a liquid tree sounds good but the wide practicality of this tool is yet to be discovered.
The LIQUID 3 is placed in front of the Municipality of Stari Grad in Makedonska Street in Belgrade. The CO2 concentrations are highest in this busy area.
Sources:
https://www.rs.undp.org/content/serbia/en/home/presscenter/articles/2021/prvi-preciscivac-vazduha-od-algi-u-srbiji.html
https://www.env-health.org/press-release-eu-action-on-western-balkans-chronic-coal-pollution-is-a-unique-opportunity-to-improve-health-and-productivity/
http://ghdx.healthdata.org/gbd-results-tool
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