Scientists create Liquid Trees; a tank full of water and micro-algae that could be an alternative to trees in urban areas.

[1srelluc]

New 'liquid trees' divide the internet

Large tanks full of green, gunky algae, dubbed "liquid trees," are being promoted as a possible solution to air pollution issues in big cities, sparking an online debate.

Posts on Twitter sharing photos and videos of the algae tanks have gone viral this week, with one post by @yupthtexists amassing 18,000 likes and millions of views.

"Scientists create Liquid Trees; a tank full of water and micro-algae that could be an alternative to trees in urban areas," the caption read.

The "liquid trees" actually emerged in late 2021, having been developed by scientists from the University of Belgrade in Serbia. Named "LIQUID 3," the tanks were said to be the first urban photo-bioreactor in Serbia, designed to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from city air.

The 600-liter (around 158-gallon) tank is filled with microalgae, which use photosynthesis to convert CO2 to oxygen in the same process as trees and other plants do, harvesting energy from sunlight using chlorophyll.

Let's see.....After we cut down all of the trees to build a shithole mega city/blueburbs, we put in some fancy fish tanks and don't clean them....Sounds about right.

 

[luiza]

Lunacy .
What's wrong with inventing more real trees ?
They should concentrate further research on the Weeping Willow .

 

[Crick]

New 'liquid trees' divide the internet

Large tanks full of green, gunky algae, dubbed "liquid trees," are being promoted as a possible solution to air pollution issues in big cities, sparking an online debate.

Posts on Twitter sharing photos and videos of the algae tanks have gone viral this week, with one post by @yupthtexists amassing 18,000 likes and millions of views.

"Scientists create Liquid Trees; a tank full of water and micro-algae that could be an alternative to trees in urban areas," the caption read.

The "liquid trees" actually emerged in late 2021, having been developed by scientists from the University of Belgrade in Serbia. Named "LIQUID 3," the tanks were said to be the first urban photo-bioreactor in Serbia, designed to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from city air.

The 600-liter (around 158-gallon) tank is filled with microalgae, which use photosynthesis to convert CO2 to oxygen in the same process as trees and other plants do, harvesting energy from sunlight using chlorophyll.

Let's see.....After we cut down all of the trees to build a shithole mega city/blueburbs, we put in some fancy fish tanks and don't clean them....Sounds about right.

A little more of the orginal article would have been helpful.

"The algae is also more efficient than trees at removing CO2 from the atmosphere, acting between 10 to 50 times faster. One species of algae, Chlorella vulgaris, is up to 400 times more effective at harvesting CO2 than trees, according to biotechnology company Hypergiant Industries.

Twitter users haven't taken well to the suggestion that these tanks are an alternative to trees, however.

"Before Atlanta gets any ideas, liquid trees don't reduce erosion, enrich soil, prevent flooding, and improve the quality of groundwater," tweeted Atlanta Community Press Collective, @atlanta_press."

I would also be curious as to the maintenance required. I presume excess algae must occasionally be removed and the water must need changing now and then as breakdown products accumulate. But, I could be wrong. Remember those sealed glass balls you could buy that had a tiny shrimp and a small piece of algae or seaweed and were said to be stable for years? I don't know how long they actually lasted. Anyone here ever have one of those things?