Mechanical trees are as good at absorbing CO2 as normal trees

A unique farm of artificial trees made for air purification will become operational in April this year.

Professor Klaus Lackner from Arizona State University was the one to propose this concept of artificial carbon dioxide absorbers. Unlike already existing technologies, the device he developed consumes almost no energy, thereby achieving maximum efficiency in the fight against global warming.

The artificial tree consists of resin-coated discs that can absorb CO2. Between them, there’s a 5-centimetre gap, which provides air circulation. It takes about 20 minutes to fill the disks, after which the gas is pumped out of them into a special storage.

Last year, Lackner received a grant from the US Department of Energy to implement his idea. The professor uses the allocated $2,5 million to build three farms capable of absorbing up to 1,000 tons of CO2 per day. The first one will open in April 2022.