Urban furniture can now contribute to reducing city pollution. The Port of Barcelona has installed the first air purification device integrated into an advertising canopy or digital mupi in alliance with the Barcelona-based company Urban Air Purifier and the multinational Clear Channel, which manages the outdoor advertising of the port domain.
The prototype is capable of purifying 99% of particles and 80% of harmful gases for health, within a 40-meter radius. Specifically, this device can clean the polluting air generated by 3,000 cars and its purification capacity is comparable to that of 20 trees, according to data from Urban Air Purifier.
The project has been developed by this company and by Clear Channel and has had the collaboration of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), the Universitat de Barcelona (UB), the Centre Superior d'Investigacions Científiques and Eurecat, along with the support of the Port de Barcelona. This is one of the port's commitments within its environmental impact reduction plan, although they recall that their strategy to minimize emissions from port activity involves energy transition, promoting the use of clean energy and electrifying the docks.
"This is a very relevant innovation since air pollution is the cause of more than nine million deaths each year worldwide and the loss of quality of life for many more millions of people. Each device, like the one installed in the Port of Barcelona, has a range of about 40 meters, so clean air corridors can be created in different areas of cities where there are pollution and air quality problems," explains the head of Clear Channel in Southern Europe, Jordi Sáez.
For her part, the president of the Port of Barcelona, Mercè Conesa, defends her commitment to public-private collaboration, innovation, and sustainability. "We are building the port of the future, facing post-pandemic scenarios with the participation of economic and social agents and companies," explained Conesa.