EcoLogicStudio, a London-based architectural and urban design studio, set up a revolutionary project.
During the week of the Climate Innovation Summit in 2018, the studio unveiled the CO2 filtering curtain: Photo.Synth.Etica.
In fact, this curtain created with microalgae and bioplastics stops air pollutants in real time and stores them.
This sustainable system traps approximately 1kg of CO2 per day, equivalent to 20 tall trees in action.
How air purification works
Designed for integration into both new and existing buildings, the system consists of 16.2 x 7 metre modules working as photobioreactors.
They use daylight to feed a variety of microalgae cultures so that they glow at night.
The air coming from the environment enters from the bottom of the facade and goes up through the water inside the curtains.
Then, the algae capture and store carbon dioxide and pollutants.
Finally, the oxygen produced by photosynthesis is released into the outside air.
The revolutionary curtain covers buildings as if it were a sort of “second skin”, and therefore a protection.
Organisms in architectural structures
Claudia Pasquero and Marco Poletto are the project founders and were the first to introduce organisms, such as algae, into architectural structures.
This makes them innovative and above all green entrepreneurs.
Their goal was to integrate algae with buildings as they feed on CO2, which is harmful to humans. Thus, they could achieve a new balance in the ecosystem.
Their project is designed to be sustainable in every aspect: from the curtain production process to its own purpose.
In fact, the bioplastic which Photo.Synth.Etica. is produced with comes from the production of maize. A starch is obtained from it, which allows to produce a completely organic plastic.
Finally, unlike what happens in the world of architecture, this structure is designed to change over time, so as to keep up with sustainability.
