Scientists use ‘BioSolar Leaf’ to fight air pollution, produce food simultaneously

In order to clean out pollution from the air, a startup has introduced a new ‘BioSolar Leaf’ technology for the first time ever that uses plants to cleanse the air.

British startup Arborea has launched a pilot project in London to test its new, first-of-its-kind ‘BioSolar Leaf’ technology that uses microscopic plants to remove pollution from the air.

The system involves microscopic plants like microalgae or phytoplankton, on solar panels-like structures that can be installed literally anywhere solar panels would go. With the help of photosynthesis, these plants remove carbon dioxide from the air while producing oxygen.

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The microscopic plants not only remove the air pollution, but also simultaneously produce food ingredients. This means that this technology system could not only help battle carbon emissions, but also address hunger in the process, reported Futurism.

The microscopic plants also produce an organic protein that the firm extracts and uses in order to create plant-based food products. Arborea claimed that just one acre of their system does equal to cleaning the air as 100 acres of trees, as per CNBC.

“My goal is to tackle climate change and food security. This pilot plant will produce sustainable healthy food additives while purifying the air, producing oxygen, and removing carbon dioxide from the surrounding environment,” said Arborea CEO Julian Melchiorri.

“It will provide the opportunity to fully harness Arborea’s BioSolar Leaf dual action in real operating conditions and help to unlock the technology’s full potential,” concluded Melchiorri.