Now There’s a Bus Stop That Kills Smog

[eridani]

http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/04/09/bus-stop-kills-smog?cmpid=tpdaily-eml-2015-04-10

Hong Kong may be known for its breathtaking skyline, but thanks to a noxious smog problem, its skyscrapers and mountains aren’t always visible. Pollution in the Chinese territory has gotten so bad that last summer a company came up with a fake, smog-free backdrop for frustrated tourists to pose in front of for pictures. But what if the toxic particulate matter coming out of all those tailpipes could be sucked away by bus stops?

That’s the inspiration behind the City Air Purification System, a prototype device that was installed in Hong Kong’s busy Wanchai neighborhood in late March. The gigantic solar-powered purifier resembles a bus stop, but it sucks dirty air in and filters out fine particulate pollution. It then sends cleaned air back out into the neighborhood and is able to monitor real-time air quality in the area around it.

Jimmy Tong, one of the engineers at Arup, the firm that developed the device, told Forbes that initial data shows the purifier is reducing pollution in Wanchai. There’s been a 30 percent to 70 percent reduction in particulate matter, according to Tong. Given those results, Tong seemed optimistic that the bus-stop purifiers could be expanded to locations throughout Hong Kong.