China faces the world's highest air pollution-related mortality rate, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Globally, air pollution claims around 3 million lives annually, as reported by The Guardian, with no signs of improvement. In response, Chinese researchers in Xi'an—a city in central China—built an experimental 100-meter-tall tower to purify local air. Early results are promising, says project researcher Cao Junji in the South China Morning Post. The tower has enhanced air quality across 10 square kilometers by generating 10 million cubic meters of clean air.
The innovative system features greenhouses at the tower's base, covering half a football field. These draw in polluted air, which solar energy then heats, causing it to rise through the tower. Multiple cleaning filters purify it en route. This is especially vital in Xi'an's winters, when coal-based heating spikes pollution. Developed in 2015 and constructed in 2017, the tower's full findings were expected in March 2018. Time will tell if this environmental breakthrough inspires similar projects worldwide.
