Liquid Trees: A Gateway into the Future

For years, the pressing issue of climate change has become more and more tangible as temperatures increase around the globe. Environmental scientists have rushed to find new ways to combat the threat that unites humanity. And it has become clear that cities, where the lack of greenery is most apparent, must be the first thing they laser-focus on.

As commonly known, trees and their carbon-dioxide-absorbing powers are our greatest allies in the fight against climate change. However, rather than fiercely protecting our greatest compatriots, humans have taken to cutting them down; in fact, nearly 50% of the trees on planet Earth have been destroyed by humans. According to Christophe Jospe, chief strategist at Arizona State’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, “Trees can’t absorb enough of the carbon dioxide humanity is throwing at them unless we turn every inch of available land into a dense forest.” And with a globe littered with cities, this task becomes more and more impossible. Of course, trees--with their large labyrinth of roots, high maintenance fees, and their positions in unideal urban growing environments--are extremely difficult to plant in cities.

Recently, however, a new invention is beginning to be implemented around the world. The liquid tree, first developed by Serbian scientists from the University of Belgrade in 2021, was designed to combat carbon dioxide emissions in cities. Although they unfortunately do not possess the natural beauty of a tree, they do wield the crucial ability to take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen--an ability that could save the Earth in the long run.

The liquid tree, also dubbed the LIQUID3, involves a 160 gallon tank filled with water and microalgae. It works just like a plant does--through photosynthesis, the well-known process that everyone studied in elementary school. In photosynthesis, a plant takes in carbon dioxide and water through the air and soil. Then, inside of the plant cell, the water loses electrons while the carbon dioxide gains them, turning the water into oxygen and the carbon dioxide into glucose. Essentially, the microalgae works the same way; it binds carbon dioxide into sugars, removing it from the air, and then produces pure oxygen.

Not only is the liquid tree smaller and easier to implement in cities than a real tree, but it is actually more efficient as well. According to Dr. Ivan Spasojevic, one of the project’s inventors, “The microalgae replaces two 10-year-old trees or 200 square meters of lawn.” This makes it 10 to 50 times more efficient than regular trees at removing carbon dioxide from the environment.

To add on to its benefits, the LIQUID3 also functions as a bench, with charging ports for phones and a solar panel that allows for lighting at night. The project also uses single-celled freshwater algae, which are resistant to both high and low temperatures. This means that the system doesn’t require any special maintenance.

However, many social media users are opposed to this new liquid tree. One user tweeted ““Liquid trees" [THERE'S] ALREADY FREE AIR!!!! FROM REAL TREES!!!!” while an Instagram comment read “I’m impressed. . .We took the nature out [of] natural.” Nevertheless, Spasojevic has stated that the team is not trying to replace real greenery and forests--rather, they are simply trying to, in his words, “fill those urban pockets where there is no space for planting trees.” Despite what those social media users might think, there is no doubt about it: the Liquid3 is a gateway into the future.