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This image shows what the system might look like if it were installed across London.
Imperial College London | Thomas Glover
Imperial College London will collaborate with a start-up called Arborea to develop innovative new technologies that, he hopes, will improve the air quality in the British capital.
In an announcement on Monday, Imperial said the BioSolar Leaf technology purifies the air using photosynthesis from microscopic plants.
Photosynthesis is a process by which plants use the energy of the sun to convert water and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen.
The Arborea system allows plants, such as microalgae and phytoplankton, to grow on "structures resembling solar panels". These can be installed in urban areas to improve the quality of the air, although they do not generate electricity themselves as would a conventional solar panel.
Imperial will give the company – created by a former student, Julian Melchiorri – funding to develop an outdoor pilot of its growing system on its campus in White City, a neighborhood located in West London.
According to the company, an acre of its system can eliminate carbon dioxide and produce oxygen 100 times more than one acre of forest.
Melchiorri said the company was "excited" by its collaboration with Imperial.
"In our constantly growing modern cities, cooperation between start-ups, academic institutions and government agencies is essential to enable and accelerate sustainable innovation that benefits our society and the environment," he said. added.
He added that the pilot plant "would produce sustainable and healthy food additives while purifying the air, producing oxygen and removing carbon dioxide from the immediate environment" .
Air pollution is a serious problem worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 4.2 million people die each year "due to exposure" to outdoor air pollution, while 91% of the The planet's population lives in areas where air quality exceeds the limits set by WHO.
The London authorities are seeking to mitigate the effects of air pollution by creating a very low-emission zone (ULEZ) operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in central London.
ULEZ is built around what is called "European standards". A framework introduced in 1992, the standards encompass emissions controls that set limits for nitrogen oxides and engine particles of a vehicle.
Gasoline vehicles that do not meet Euro 4 standards and diesel vehicles that do not meet Euro 6 standards will have to pay a ULEZ fee of £ 12.50 per day. , in addition to a current congestion charge of £ 11.50.
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