Recently New Delhi got its first smog tower (a prototype air purifier). In November, the Supreme Court had directed the Centre and the Delhi government to prepare a plan to install ‘smog towers’ across the capital to deal with air pollution.

What is a ‘Smog Tower’?

• Smog towers are structures designed to work as large-scale air purifiers.
• They are usually fitted with multiple layers of air filters, which clean the air of pollutants as it passes through them.
• The smog tower installed at Lajpat Nagar is capable of treating 6,00,000 cubic metres of air per day and can collect more than 75 per cent of particulate matters (PM) 2.5 and 10.
• After the cleaning, the tower releases clean air.
• The project is collaboration between the IIT Bombay, IIT-Delhi and the University of Minnesota, the latter having helped design a similar tower of over 100 metres in China’s Xi’an city.
• The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) will also be involved with the project.

How it works?

• The 20-metre (65 feet) high tower will trap particulate matter of all sizes suspended in the air.
• Large-scale air filters shall draw in the air through fans installed at the top before passing it through the filters and releasing it near the ground.
• The filters installed in the tower will use carbon nanofibres as a major component and will be fitted along its peripheries. The tower will focus on reducing particulate matter load.

Other examples in the world

• China, which has been battling air pollution for years, has two smog towers — in its capital Beijing and in the northern city of Xi’an.
• The Xi’an tower is dubbed the world’s largest, and has reportedly brought down PM 2.5 by 19% in an area of around 6 sq km in its vicinity.
• The 100-metre (328 feet) high tower has produced 10 million cubic metres of clean air every day since its launch.
• On severely polluted days the tower is able to bring down smog close to moderate levels.

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