“Living” Chandelier Made with Algae-Filled Leaves Naturally Purifies the Air
With all of the damage done to our planet, everyone is looking for eco-friendly alternatives to objects in our daily lives.
Many innovators from different industries are finding new ways to better the quality of life with sustainable items. However, the main goal is to replace every household item that is bad for the environment with alternatives that are functional for it.
Julian Melchiorri, a young inventor, engineer, and entrepreneur, made a product that brought him a Forbes recognition, calling him the top EU social entrepreneur under 30 in 2017. Additionally, he received the Emerging Talent Medal at the London Design Festival. The Emerging Talent Medal is given to people that made some kind of impact after graduating within five years.
The product that Melchiorri created was a breathing chandelier that not only lights up the room but cleanses the air in it simultaneously.
Melchiorri presented his product at the festival and the chandelier had 70 glass leaves that were full of green algae. The product is now exhibited in the V&A Museum.
The chandelier that he invented was named Exhale and the algae that it contains can absorb carbon dioxide and convert it to oxygen.
The chandelier is still a prototype, however, it can be put indoors and outdoors as well.
Additionally, Melchiorri is also a biochemical technology researcher. For many years he is focused on the development of artificial leaves from a different living organism. He stated that:
“Over the last century, our constantly growing population is burning fossil fuels and destroying plant life, basically forcing a change in the atmosphere and climate, reverse-terraforming our planet. Having this constant issue in mind, [I] experiment[ed] with ways of making materials that can effectively photosynthesize and explored how this can positively impact the world around us. These technologies can revolutionize our urban environment both at a product and architectural scale by purifying the air we breathe, sequestrating carbon dioxide and producing valuable bio-products, only using water and light.”
This young inventor is firm in cleansing the air.
Additionally, Melchiorri was the one behind the invention of the Silk Leaf. The Silk Leaf is a man-made plant that absorbs carbon dioxide (CO2) and water, converting them into oxygen.
Melchiorri alongside his team from London food tech startup Arborea has been working on the BioSolar Leaf in the past four years.
The product is created from micro-algae, microscopic plants, and phytoplankton. These are planted on a solar-like panel which can be added to any rooftop or on sides of buildings.
Not only does the product purify the air, but also it provides electricity and grows sustainable food and protein ingredients simultaneously.
Crowded cities will benefit from this product the most since it will be an excellent way of generating electricity.
At the moment, the effects are on a test at ICL’s West London White City campus.
Professor Neil Alford from the Imperial College stated that “Air pollution is one of London’s most urgent challenges, and Imperial is committed to finding sustainable and resilient solutions to this threat. This collaboration with Arborea is an exceptional opportunity to showcase the power of Cleantech.”
On top of that, Melchiorri added that “When I founded Arborea my goal was to tackle climate change while addressing the critical issues related to the food system. This pilot plant will produce sustainable healthy food additives while purifying the air, producing oxygen and removing carbon dioxide from the surrounding environment.”
Our carbon footprint can be decreased by all of us and the intention to save the planet with the use of environmentally-friendly alternative products daily.
All of us can make this impact, even with the smallest things such as buying reusable items from sustainable materials and avoiding plastic products.
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