Air purifiers use moss screens to absorb urban pollution

A Berlin-based company has launched an urban air filter which it calls a “CityTree”. The unit includes a screen of moss and other plants that its maker says offers the same environmental benefits as 275 trees.

Green City Solution says its CityTrees circulate water and minerals, take particulate matter from the air and absorb nitrogen dioxide and ozone, thereby offsetting the equivalent of 240 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.

The freestanding unit is 4m high, 3m wide and takes up 3.5 sq m of street space. As well as its environmental benefits, it may contain an LED screen, a Wi-Fi hotspot, or a charging station for an electric bike.

The company’s pitch for the CityTree claims the unit can provide its own water and nutrients, requires only a few hours of maintenance a year and can be assembled or dismantled within eight hours.

Two versions of the product are available, both with and without a bench.

According to Green City Solutions, 90% of cities’ inhabitants breathe polluted air, and that this causes every seventh death worldwide.

Around 20 CityTrees have been installed so far in Hong Kong, Paris and Oslo, each costing $25,000. There are plans for units to be added to lower income countries such as India.

Images courtesy of Green City Solutions