Bei-cology: Smog Free Tower to be Unveiled in Beijing's 798 Art District, Sep 29
Bei-cology is a new weekly column covering the latest news and trends in air quality, environmentalism, animals rights, and more. Have an ecology related tip? Email or WeChat the author using the contact info below.
Eco-conscious Beijingers have not only been waiting with baited breath because of the smog in recent years. Those environmentally focused locals are also eager for what was promised to be a major breakthrough that's been years in the making. Back in 2014 cutting edge designer Daan Roosegaarde talked to the Beijinger about a project that would turn trash into treasure or, rather, pollution into diamonds.
The hardware for this lofty endeavor was then dubbed the Smog Free Tower, a structure that the designer's Studio Roosegaarde planned to showcase in a Beijing park, so that its complex inner workings could suck up smog, compressing the pollution's carbon particles until they turned into dazzling dark diamonds. In the ensuing years eco-conscious Beijingers impatiently waited (while skeptics cracked wise) as Roosegaarde gave the seven-meter-tall tower a test run in Rotterdam. Now the wait is over for those onlookers, as the designer's studio has announced that the tower will make its Beijing debut on September 29 at the 798 Art District adjacent 751 D Park. Supported by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the project's Bejing showing will mark the first stop of the Smog Free Project China tour, which is slated to travel to four Chinese cities in the coming year.
A statement from Studio Roosegaarde describes the Smog Free Tower as "the largest air purifier in the world which creates a bubble of clean air enabling citizens to experience clean air for free." It went on to say that the process happens through the structure's patented ozone-free ion technology, which cleanses 30.000m3 of air per hour and captures and collects more than 75 percent of the PM2.5 and PM10 airborne smog particles, giving off clean air in its vicinity.
Aside from that fresh air, the tower's design also doles out black diamonds that will be affixed to Smog Free Rings and Smog Free Cufflinks for those interested purchasing such an eco-friendly token. During his earlier interview with the Beijinger, Roosegaarde described the process as compressing "some of the smog enough that it becomes a grey gel, then compress other parts until they become pure diamond. That way our jewelry will have colored layers, and you’ll be able to see bits in the diamond that used to be pollution. It’ll give it a really unique look. It’s doable – we’ve already made some, we're just fine-tuning to make it as energy efficient as possible."
He went on to add at the time: "My girlfriend saw one, and now she keeps saying “I want a smog diamond!” So there’s no going back now."
For more information on the tower and its forthcoming Beijing debut, click here.
More stories by this author here.
Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
Twitter: @MulKyle
WeChat: 13263495040
Photos courtesy of studioroosegaarde.net, Daan Roosegarde
