Trees lock away and store carbon-dioxide for hundreds of years. Scientists now want to mimic this feature by creating artificial trees for our parks, which could even act as street lights and harness wind power.
The key scientist behind the idea is Dr. Klaus Lackner from the Earth Institute at the Columbia University. [1] His “synthetic trees” resemble real trees with trunks and branches, which are in fact arrays with sorbent chemicals for capturing the carbon-dioxide. Leaves can be more dense than on normal trees, increasing efficiency. Also, the collected carbon dioxide could be also utilised and not only stored, for instance in agricultural processes. [2] [7]
Another concept is the so-called uTree [3], a photovoltaic tree that would soak up the sun during the day, then feed into the electricity grid or even stored inside – for instance for lighting spaces.
Some artificial tree ideas go further and try to merge the various capabilities. Some may harvest rainwater and generate electricity via solar panels at the same time. [4] Some others act like solar street lights, or create a whole park with saving rainwater and even using wind energy. [5]
Challenges for artificial trees are the high initial investment, long-term maintenance costs and some worries about the actual efficiency of small artificial leaves compared to solar panels, but if these can be overcome, walking in the park could have a new meaning in the future. [6]
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[1] http://www.earth.columbia.edu/articles/view/2523
[2] http://www.forumforthefuture.org/greenfutures/articles/artificial-trees-answer-carbon-capture
[5] http://www.ecofriend.com/entry/artificial-trees-pave-new-future-for-energy-and-cleaner-environment/
[6] http://www.ecofriend.com/good-bad-ugly-artificial-trees-generate-solar-power.html
