Floating Air Filters

What if floating leaves could improve air quality in your city?

When air quality drops, city skies fill with floating air filters. They’re essentially large, artificial leaves, where fabrics made of silk protein embedded with chloroplasts absorb carbon dioxide and other particulates from the air, synthesizing oxygen in the process...

Research informing this future

• Floating leaves is based on amazing work by Julian Melchiorri. He’s fabricating artificial leaves, where fabrics made of silk protein and chloroplasts absorb CO2 and other particulates from the air, and produce oxygen in response.

• A large-scale version of the project wouldn’t solve greater issues of fire danger or other sources of air pollution, but it could offer a way to live with the poor air quality when it comes.

Action items and resources for addressing air quality issues

• Community Air Risk Evaluation Program

• Guidebook of best practices to reduce exposure and emissions from local sources of air pollutants.

• Reducing air quality risk in buildings and facilities

Would you want these cleansing air where you live? Why or why not? What kinds of thoughts, feelings, hopes, or fears do they spark for you?