Air Pollution Solutions: What is The Smog Free Project

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), outdoor air pollution kills over 4 million people around the world every year. People are starting to take notice and make changes to improve the quality of our air.

In this 6-part series, we will discover some of the more innovative techniques people are employing to reduce air pollution.

To kick things off, we’re looking at the unique and novel ‘Smog Free Project’, a series of innovations from Daan Roosegaarde to work towards a cleaner and brighter future.

Smog Free Tower

In the centre of Rotterdam, Daan Roosegaarde and his team have designed and built the world’s first smog vacuum cleaner. The Smog Free Tower stands at an impressive 7 meters tall and uses only 1,170 watts of electricity to power the vacuum.

The tower works by sucking in air through a the huge vacuum, before extracting harmful pollution particulates and releasing fresh, clean air back into the environment.

Roosegaarde plans to take his tower and implement it in some of the most polluted cities around the world, with a tower already set up in Beijing. In order to fund the project, he created a tangible souvenir from the Smog Free Tower – a ring made out of the pollution particles.

Smog Free Ring

The souvenir Smog Free Ring is handmade at Studio Roosegaard and contains smog collected from the towers in Beijing and Rotterdam. Each ring is equivalent to 1000m³ of clean air.

The ring is available to view in the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam as part of their ring collection. Many couples around the world have even purchased a ring in celebration of an engagement or wedding.

Smog Free Bicycle

The latest project under development by Studio Roosegaard and ofo, the Chinese bike sharing programme, is the Smog Free Bicycle. Launched at the World Economic Forum in China, the bike’s design is inspired by the mantra ray – an intelligent fish which filters water for food, taking only what it needs for nutrients.

The bicycle works by inhaling polluted air, cleaning it and exhaling the clean air around the cyclist, allowing them to breathe in the clean air whilst exercising.

The bicycle works to combat air pollution in 2 ways:

1. Providing clean air for cyclists

2. Offering an alternative and attractive transport mode for getting around busy cities

Cleaning our air

The Smog Free Project is just one way we can improve our air quality around the world. Take a look at our next post on CityTrees, or find out more about research into treatment chemicals to capture mercury.