Gizmos & Gadgets: China Builds World’s Largest Air Filter

February 20, 2018 – Most of us open a window when we want to introduce fresh air into our homes. Or, if we want to combat potential allergens we may invest in a portable home purifier. But in China opening a window in cities like Beijing doesn’t clear the air but rather can shorten a citizen’s life.

That’s why China’s Institute of Earth Environment has started to experiment with citywide air purification. The first to be constructed is located in the city of Xian, in Northern China. It is a 100 meter (330 foot) tall tower that can purify up to 10 million cubic meters of air per day. Scientists monitoring the effectiveness of their invention have detected a 15% drop in smog particulate matter during periods of heavy pollution.

How does it work?

The tower uses solar power and incorporates a series of natural greenhouse filters at its base. Air introduced into the tower rises through a series of cleaning filters before it gets reintroduced to the environment. Plans are to build an even larger tower, five times the size, in other urban centers in the near future.

The technology may help China deal with its extraordinarily high levels of urban air pollution largely produced from the burning of coal in thermal power plants. It is part of a more than $100 billion investment in clean technology in its war against pollution.

China recently introduced antipollution measures in 28 of its largest cities with a goal to decrease particulate matter pollutants by 15% annually. It still has to wean itself off coal, the primary source of its ever-present smog in cities like Beijing and Shanghai. The government has made the first significant turn in that direction by scrapping plans that were on the books to build an additional 85 coal-fired thermal power plants. Instead, the government has pledged to take a massive undertaking in installing utility-sized solar and wind power plants along with battery storage backup infrastructure.