Smart Air Project group:
"We are a team of advertising students from the 2nd, 3th and 4th year: Pim Smeets, Robbin de Waij, Jochem van Schip, Matthias Wentink, Tom Klaver, Sebastiaan Witteveen.
On the 8th and 9th of April 2016, we participated at the KNMI Climate Hackathon in Rotterdam. Our challenge was to come up with a solution for air pollution in the city. "
Disposing of Air Pollution in Cities
Air pollution is a big problem for many cities. From all the different kinds of air pollution that exist, fine particles are the most harmful to our health. It is created by traffic, therefore the most polluted air is the one closest to the ground. Can we address the problem at the source? SMART AIR is inspired by the underground system built by termites, with natural air cleaning system that operates on differences in air flow pressure.
Cities actually already have a similar infrastructure: the sewage system. Termites' system gets activated by the wind. If we use the same principle and connect the sewers in a clever way, we can use the high and low pressure to create a suction force that will suck the polluted air into the sewage system (compare it with opening a second window in a room - as a result the air starts flowing freely). And because fine particles have the natural ability to attach to water, they can be safely disposed in the sewer.
By using the already existing sewage systems, SMART AIR can be applied in multiple cities.
Client: KNMI
Innovation prize: Climate Hackathon
Innovation prize: KNMI/Rijkswaterstaat
Exhibitions: The One Club Student Exhibition, Creating 010, RIVM
