LONDON — German startup Green City Solutions has installed artificial trees called CityTrees across London to absorb urban pollution.
According to the company's website, the CityTree is the world's first bio-tech filter that has been able to considerably improve air quality.
The CityTree is a tower filled with different types of moss which collect toxins such as particulate matters such as PM 10 and nitrogen dioxide from the air while giving off oxygen. Each artificial tree is able to produce as much clean air as 275 real trees, according to Dezeen.
The structure is powered by solar panels and collects rainwater which is evenly distributed using a fully automated irrigation system.
Green City Solutions explains on their website that the CityTrees also contain Internet-of-Things technology to gather environmental data about the trees' surrounding as well as data about its own performance.
The artificial trees also have the ability to create an immense cooling effect in its surrounding atmosphere as mosses can store large amounts of moisture.
CityTrees were previously trialled in London in 2018 as a trial. The current project is a permanent installation.
The structures have previously been installed in Oslo, Paris, Brussels and Hong Kong, according to CNN.