Smog vacuum cleaner turns pollution into jewelry

Rotterdam-based Studio Roosegaarde created a giant smog vacuum cleaner that creates bubbles of clean air and then turns the collected pollution into jewelry.

Designed by Dutch company Studio Roosegaarde, the Smog Free Project is intended to clean the air and decrease pollution levels within the surrounding environment. It functions similarly to the air-purifying architectural panels we covered a number of years ago, but with a fashionable twist.

The process begins with the Smog Free Tower. Mostly powered by wind, the Smog Free Tower uses the same amount of electricity as a water boiler and cleans 30,000 cubic meters of air per hour. Part of the studio’s social design focus, the Smog Free Tower was installed in Beijing, China, in September 2016, and is designed to inspire global partnerships for a smog free future.

The Tower “draws in” pollution using an electrical current to distribute positive ions into the air that attract harmful airborne particles. A negative charge inside the Tower then pulls the dirt in, leaving clean air behind.

The smog is then collected and compressed into tiny cubes, which are used in exclusive Smog Free Jewelry designs. The limited edition pieces include rings, cufflinks and cubes. The Smog Free Jewelry collection is available directly from the studio, with rings costing EUR 250.

Turning pollution into usable items is proving a common creative solution, and we’ve already seen an ink made from car exhaust emissions. What else could smog be “recycled” into to help encourage similar initiatives?