When innovation meets art, with some sustainability sprinkled on top, you get a clean future shining bright like a diamond.
A renowned artist has created an innovative device that promotes a clean air initiative by absorbing pollution.
Now, clean air can be “donated” by making polluted air tangible, making it sound too good to be true.
Yet, this device has transformed several cities worldwide, but how does it do it?
Our health and well-being highly depend on it
Many people are trying their utmost best to trend these days. Yet, few realize that they may have been part of a global trend all along.
For many years, the biggest global demographic trend has been urbanization.
The motivations behind this trend are fairly reasonable, ranging from better job opportunities to services. However, many are unaware of what they signed up for when they made the big move.
As the populations in city regions increased, they also became more concentrated. As a result, several disadvantages arise, but the biggest one was, and is, pollution.
Natural green spaces had to give way to the growing concrete jungles, and traffic reached significantly high congestion levels.
The air quality began to decrease, and more city slickers became smothered by smog.
Renowned artist Daan Roosegaarde made it his mission to address these smog plagues. In his success, he stumbled onto another unique creation.
Pollution captured in a diamond
Cities worldwide are plagued by smog, and many have sought unique ways to clear the air.
The heart of America has installed what some deem “a true pollution harvester.” But not everyone can afford a solution of this scale.
This is why Roosegaarde’s device is so ingenious.
It does not require substantial space, uses renewable power, and enhances aesthetics. It also has a unique feature that makes its contributions last forever.
This innovative device absorbs pollution (smog). The smog is “stored” in a diamond. This is then used in jewelry such as the “Smog Free Ring.” Studio Roosegaarde confirmed that one Smog Free Ring represents 1,000 cubic meters (35,314.7 cubic feet) of clean air.
These unique rings now feature in permanent museum collections, with a new series rumored to be in the works.
However, the main question is, how does Roosegaarde’s device capture smog in the first place?
Making cities great and smog-free again
This innovative device is known as the “Smog Free Tower” and forms part of the greater “Smog Free Project.”
The Smog Free Tower is 7 meters tall and is made from aluminum. Together with 1,170 W of renewable power and positive ionization technology, it purifies the air.
It is as efficient as it is aesthetically striking.
In just an hour, the device purifies 30,000 cubic meters of air, which is 1,059,440 cubic feet! A research team from the Eindhoven University of Technology validated the results.
It is enough to give India’s urban “liquid trees” a run for their money. But how did it end up creating diamonds?
In a nutshell, carbon particles are filtered from the Smog Free Tower’s smog. These carbon particles are then compressed for half an hour, forming beautiful, small diamond cubes.
From Roosegaarde’s wind turbines emitting green lasers to smog-harvesting towers. His creations truly promote true sustainability.
The first Smog Free Tower was installed in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in 2015. Other Dutch cities have adopted this device, and it also expanded to China, South Korea, the UAE, Poland, and Mexico.
The Smog Free Tower has thus become a symbol of innovation, transforming air purification into more than a survival necessity.
As urbanization continues to increase exponentially worldwide, more unique functional art pieces are needed to transform our cities.
Anke Maree is a writer with a clear and engaging editorial style. Her work focuses on making complex topics accessible, informative, and relevant for readers across different areas of interest.
