The University of Belgrade’s Institute for Multidisciplinary Research invented an urban photo-bioreactor. Liquid 3 cleans the air and serves as a bench in the Belgrade city centre.
It’s a tank filled with microalgae, a solar panel on the top generates electricity for USB charging ports for citizens and a pump that pumps air into the tank where the algae process the CO² and produce Oxygen.
https://balkangreenenergynews.com/liquid-tree-to-combat-air-pollution-in-belgrade/
Really cool! But the pessimist in me wonders how quickly this would be destroyed by random people who have no respect for public property.
Just takes one angry teenager with a baseball bat or drunk moron with an automobile. I’d like to see the automotive crash test data on survivability of this water tank vs say, an oak tree.
Also how well it would hold up in a cold snap. Would be fairly limited to warm climates I imagine but even warm climates get a few days of freezing temperatures occasionally.
Is it better than a tree?
Can’t charge a phone using a tree.
…well, unless we stick a solar panel + charging port on it, like with this thing.
unless we stick a solar panel + charging port on it,
Even as a joke, that seems cheaper and you need far less resources. My question was more about if it’s “clears” air better than just a tree.
Even though microalgae are more efficient in binding carbon dioxide than regular plants, trees have a larger volume, and a higher density of biomass as our system involves a lot of water. That’s why one Liquid 3 can replace one adult tree regarding the capacity of binding carbon dioxide,” Spasojević said, reflecting on the first year of operation
They also claim it’s better than trees with heavy metal tolerance & particulate matter
It’s not meant to replace trees. But it could be integrated into architecture.
As someone who has a backyard pond, I can tell you algae is super resilient and essentially can’t be stopped. It even survives cold Canadian winters. I’m with you, it doesn’t need to replace trees, but it can be utilized for other purposes.
It’s better at raising awareness because it’s weird and it’s a conversation starter.
It’s better at being a bench.
It’s a better windbreak.
Cost per year of maintenance versus equivalent tree.
Might make sense in a space colony. But only barely.
The article says it: it’s not meant to replace trees.
But it could be an option for places where a tree cannot be planted. If cities want to build street infrastructure, for example a shelter at a bus stop, then a microalgae CO2 filter and solar power could be integrated. Or tanks like this could be integrated into other architecture like in house walls.
