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China Constructs 100-Meter High Air Purifier to Combat Smog in Xi’an

Catwell

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Smog on a typical day in Xi’an, located in Shaanxi province. (Image credit: Shwangtianyuan via Wikipedia)

 

It’s no secret China has cities shrouded in smog, so much so that pollution from mainland China has forced western cities in Japan to issue health warnings and has even been detected as far away as California. While that may seem terrible in terms of health hazards, China, is in fact, not the most significant smog producer in the world- Pakistan takes that honor with an average PM (Particulate Matter or pollutants in the air) concentration of 115.7, followed by Qatar (92.4 PM), Afghanistan (86 PM) and Bangladesh (83.3 PM). China ranks in at 13th place (41.4 PM).

 

There’s no easy way to remove air pollution beyond regulating emissions, but one town located in Shaanxi province seems to have found a way- by using the world’s tallest air purifier. According to the South China Morning Post, the experimental 328-foot tower has brought a noticeable improvement in air quality in the city of Xi’an. Researchers from the Institute of Earth Environment at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have conducted experiments and found that the air quality in an area of 10-square kilometers around the tower has improved.

 

Moreover, the tower is capable of producing 353 cubic feet of clean air a day, reducing heavy smog days to moderate levels. The system works using greenhouses (covering half the size of a soccer field) positioned around the base of the tower. Polluted air is then drawn into the greenhouses where the air is then heated by solar energy. That heated air then rises through the tower, passing through multiple filters and later released back into the atmosphere- resulting in a reduction of 2.5 PM in air pollution. That’s the claim anyway.

 

No other information beyond what the South China Morning Post reported can be found, even from the Institute of Earth Environment, so take that info with a grain of salt. That being said, China’s government has recently reported that the air quality is improving with low levels of feared 2.5 PM of particles stating, “It's a new reality for the population, who were used to wearing masks and turning on air purifiers by this time last year.”

 

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  • in reply to phoenixcomm

    That hydrogen house is really cool - storage in ways that doesn't involve batteries is great. And yes, making it from water and returning to water is as clean as you can get. And no battery disposal issues to deal with either.

     

    Interesting also about your double-walled house. I was learning about that idea here for the opposite reason - to keep warm!

    The idea for us is also that the outside wall is kind of the main insulation and vapour barrier wall, and then the inside walls contains all the plumbing and electrical, which eliminates most of the problem of air infiltration due to services poking holes all over it.

     

    Thinking of your hydrogen car idea - here in BC at least we have relatively cheap natural gas. It would be quite easy to add an outlet to fill up a gas powered car in that sense. Not quite as clean as hydrogen, but I'm guessing it's much cleaner than gasoline or diesel.

     

    And DAB, I forgot about the energy density, thanks for the good reminder - my brother used to have a truck (back in the 80s) that ran on propane, and it needed a lot more storage than the usual gas tank, and burned a lot more volume. Overall it was cheaper due to the price of propane at the time. Smelled funny though.

     

    -Nico

  • in reply to DAB

    Dab, You are right about the "Hindenburg" perception. But there is another way, by using low-pressure Hydrogen, its great for your house take a look at the Hydrogen House in NJ. this is what I plan to do but out here in Ft Worth.  Buy modifying current building techniques, like 2x6 for outside walls and then a 2x4 inside so outside wall is 10", down here you have to worry about 100+ days at or over 100+ degrees. so roof design is very important. continuous seam metal roof, ridge vents, and continuous soffits, then add in between the joists an active baffle. And lastly "phase change material under the roof itself. and another layer on top the celing.

  • in reply to phoenixcomm

    I agree, hydrogen is a very clean fuel to use.

     

    Problem is storing in and over coming the "Hindenburg" perception.

     

    As they proved on the Apollo missions, hydrogen is very safe when properly handled.  It works great in fuel cells and when burned directly in a combustion engine.

     

    Storage issues result from the Hydrogen atom small size, which is why the more complex hydrocarbon compounds are more practical and actually delivers more energy.  I might point out that none are equal to the energy delivery of gasoline.

     

     

     

    DAB

  • You know that Low-Pressure Hydrogen is very clean, It was tried what 10 years + ago and failed to me this a winner. And If by chance your car used a fuel cell burning Hydrogen you end up with water you know H2O and electrical power to run that e-drive. (no fuss no muss) end

  • in reply to ntewinkel

    Hi Nico,

     

    My systems engineering experience has adapted my thinking to looking very deep into the real issues, not just the marketing hype.  I quickly see when a political decision is being made without supporting technical justification.

     

    After forty years of advance engineering, I am seldom impressed with some of the "visionary" solutions being offered by people who want to ignore the real problem and just put lip stick on the pig.

     

    DAB