In fairness, they fit the aesthetics of Blade Runner 2049
>Our goal is not to replace forests, but to use this system to fill those urban pockets where there is no space for planting trees. In certain conditions of great pollution, trees cannot survive, while algae do not mind that pollution,"
* the "advantage of microalgae is that they are 10 to 50 times more efficient than trees,"
* can be used in wastewater treatment, as compost for green areas, for the production of biomass and biofuels, as well as for air purification from exhaust gases from the factories,"
Source: ['Liquid trees' trends on the internet, reintroduces algae alternative concept for cities](https://wpde.com/news/offbeat/liquid-trees-trends-on-the-internet-reintroduces-algae-alternative-concept-for-cities-serbia-serbian-liquid-three-3-united-nations-development-programme-undp#)
Bad argument. So stupid infact that I will dedicate my life to making sure the environment goes away with us permanently.
Building a large scale wormhole to bring us to the sun as I type this
If you find the energy to create such a huge wormhole, you can single handedly solve all energy issues and get filthy rich. Maybe do the latter, pretty please?
Recently read Jurassic Park and Dr. Ian Malcolm saying how arrogant man is to think we could actually “destroy the world” is forever burned in my psyche
This doesn’t really counter that. It kind of just adds to it. The environment will change with the extinction of humans and will include the extinction of several other species. And it’s an ongoing process. But it’s not the extinction of all life as we know it. And life will adapt over time, the same way it did before humans were even here.
I mean, I think you'll find most reasonable people will agree. The rock is stronger than us and will continue after us.
Problem is of course this little nugget:
> The extinction of humans and will include the extinction of several other species
Really underselling what is really the most important feature of global environmental collapse!
If we go extinct, we're not exactly gonna be around to worry about if other species went extinct along with us. On top of that, humanity hasn't been particularly moved or daunted by all the species that have already gone extinct. It pretty much doesn't matter in that way.
Ok but there will still be an ecosystem after we are gone. There's no way global warming will kill all life on earth, hence there will still be an environment
I mean the sun will eventually go supernova and consume the earth. I am fully conceited enough that humans could figure out how to stop that if we lived long enough.
Often it's not even \*space\* for trees, it's that many cities are so hot, dry and the soil and air are so polluted that most trees just can't grow there.
You're not entirely wrong, but it very much *is* about space - just not on the surface. Trees typically have fairly large root structures, and most modern cities have a LOT of underground infrastructure - water and sewage pipes, electric and internet lines, air vents for underground metro systems, that sort of thing. Planting a tree in a city doesn't just mean finding a space above ground for it.
I like the idea but trees can be put in a lot more public spaces than people think.
Also i've done this for myself and there is an entire significant maintenance aspect to it.
Algae actually makes the vast majority of oxygen on Earth and requires an entire life cycle and cleaning aspect for it to work. Almost like farming in a box.
So it's a cute addendum but masses of trees require little maintenance and are an easier option.
It's effectively an art project. Using algae on large scale to extract ghgs from the atmosphere is legit, there's no reason to make these tiny tanks and stick them on street corners besides making a weird statement. And anywhere you could put one of these you could put a tree.
But you're right, it's very cyber punk. A tree that you have to pay thousands of dollars for a private corporation to manufacture for you, then probably pay the same company to maintain it. It has to be plugged in. And the reason you can't just plant a tree is that those same corporations have polluted the air and soil so much that they're unfit for life.
It's being used in a place that a tree cannot grow, due to light or toxicity. They're not ripping out healthy trees to install these.
"Our goal is not to replace forests, but to use this system to fill those urban pockets where there is no space for planting trees. In certain conditions of great pollution, trees cannot survive,... "
you could realistically replace walls with this
like if you need to create a separation between the highway and you know somewhere else this could be an option
I know trees serve the same function, but this also serves as a visual barrier to it looks like which trees don't always do in the same non-messy format
Is it really legit though? Takes quite the amount of power to perfuse those tanks for gas exchange. They also need light for autotrophic metabolism. In waste water treatment heterotrophic metabolism might be employed at early stage but there still kind of remains the problem of what to do with the algae after wards. If they rot away they just release the carbon again.
> It's effectively an art project. Using algae on large scale to extract ghgs from the atmosphere is legit, there's no reason to make these tiny tanks and stick them on street corners besides making a weird statement. And anywhere you could put one of these you could put a tree.
The tweet or post was made by a content farm and is not an official statement. And as always if something is just a screenshot(and a moldy one like that), it either is an outright lie or it highly distorts the truth.
I would be very interested how effective it is and how much it would cost as urban furniture. In addition to trees. Got plenty of those as well alongside every street because otherwise the city gets too hot.
Those green goop aquariums look nicer than some other things we got in the city.
As functional art installations I quite like them. Durable urban reLeaf is a thing.
True, most people still believe in the lie that "amazon is the lung of the world" when the ocean is right there, generating tones of oxigen, and not breathing most of it like forests do.
Yeah the will smith documentary that he narrated said all the oxygen the Amazon produces it uses up due to sheer amount of biomass from animals and insects
Yeah that was a good one, as far as I remember the ecosystem was: Sand from Sahara blows over to the Amazon rainforest, which does not directly produce a surplus of oxygen. However, the Amazon river helps fertilize algeas in the sea, as well as adding moisture to winds blowing north to middle and north america.
One of the predicted side effects of climate change is an increase of algae in the oceans, which will end up choking out a lot of biodiversity.
So in this one slim area, of oxygen generation from oceans, we don't have to worry. Thats going to increase even as everything else dies.
I watched a while ago a guy who was proposing that they fertilize the ocean with iron oxide dust to increase algae production. They claim that it can store most of the extra carbon responsible for climate change in just a few decades.
But the algae usually dies quickly sinks to the bottom and deconposes quickly. Using up all oxygen thus killing other Organisms like fish and releasing all that CO2 again.
People seem to forget that oxygen is actually kinda toxic to a lot of things on earth. The first mass extinction was due to an overabundance of oxygen. We just don't think of it that way because it's the opposite to animals
This has happened before in our history and is one of the extinction events. A massive algae bloom, but when the algae dies is turned the shallow oceans toxic and blocked out sunlight resulting in a catastrophic collapse and the death of 6/7 living things.
Yeah right lmfao you really think in 26 years or less the ocean will be completely destroyed? You are chugging the kool aid. I'm not saying we need to continue polluting but statements like this is why no one believes you or takes you seriously.
Source? I've been hearing "[so and so thing] will be extinct/destroyed/gone by 20__" quite often, most of which has not come true (thanks to our efforts, of course).
While I love more trees in the world, I really do, trees are fucking awesome, trees aren't very efficient at taking out CO2 and adding O2. It takes a pretty mature tree to provide a net positive in that balance.
Adding these things to buildings and city streets that wouldn't support trees anyway is a great idea. However where you can have trees thriving, put trees because apart from the CO2 to O2 thing, they serve a lot of other functions for housing and providing nourishment for fauna, preventing erosion, cooling the ground through shade and evaporating moisture... Trees are awesome, but they aren't enough and you can't put them everywhere.
That's true but the main reason we want trees in cities is for shade and cooler areas due to less reflexion than like glass or concrete, which those don't really do.
But algae doesn't persist, when it dies it decomposes quickly and that O2 is used up again. The wood and plant debris that persists in forests is effectively equal to the excess O2 that remains.
More wood more O2. There is only a net O2 generation if the biomass generated by plants isn't eaten, decomposed, or respired.
Another interesting fact, O2 is declining in the atmosphere, burning fossil fuels and deforestation. Burning coal, oil, and gas is effectively consuming the O2 that burying that plant material generated by photosynthesis and then being preserved.
He said wood...
I'm more worried about practical issues. Such as:
How easy is it to break the glass? How well will it work if covered in graffiti?
What kind of maintenance is necessary? Ya know, upkeep for the container, how often it needs to be cleaned, does it need to be fed, how often the contents need to be replaced, and how much will all that cost?
What ecological implications are there if there is a spill? Can it be poured down a drain?
I don't know about the glass but I think it's pretty sturdy.
What comes to the algae, it only needs two things. Light and air.
Graffiti or something that covers the glass isn't a problem because it seems the box has its own light.
Air is done by letting air into the tank and breaking the surface tension to let the air in.
The algae doesn't need anything else. No cleaning no feeding no replacing.
And the algae spilling isn't anything to be worried about. It will die without proper conditions. And it can be poured down a drain because the algae will die in the sewers.
When you think about it it's easier to keep a algae tank like that than maintaining a tree.
> And the algae spilling isn't anything to be worried about. It will die without proper conditions. And it can be poured down a drain because the algae will die in the sewers.
>
>
That's not how that works. You can't just assume everything will be fine, if you've got storm drains in the city that run into a river or you've got canals and other waterways around then there's a real possibility of the algae running into these waterways and blooming, which can devastate local ecosystems. During certain seasons the canals near me are just entirely green from algal bloom.
When introducing microorganisms to an ecosystem you really do need to make sure they won't cause major issues, it's quite probable it'll be fine, but unlike trees these can easily spread if there was to be a major leak.
Algae blooms happen when algae has too many resources. Every lake and pond has algae in it but the plants compete for resources thus keeping the algae population in healthy amounts. If more algae is added in a healthy water source the added algae will die because there aren't enough resources to reproduce.
Algae blooms happen only in unhealthy or unstable water sources like a canal, that doesn't have a healthy and diverse plant population. Added algae at worst speeds up the algae bloom in an unhealthy water source.
There is a video on it that I think van answer some of those questions:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=inXF5JjdyHQ
I think I saw someone on Reddit who lives next to it say that it's still there and working fine. It was about a year ago tho, so I don't know about now.
It's in belgrade, Serbia.
I was walking by it a few days ago
It's very muddy, but in an alright condition, dunno how long it will survive thoigh, it might get destroyed by 16-year old hooligans.
They offer very little shade though, so they wouldn't help with temperature control in cities, which trees do.
We can move these outside cities if they're that helpful, but don't remove trees from cities.
We might as well just put ponds with bubblers around. The algae being in a futuristic green box located in the city does not make it extra special.
I agree with Maleficent trees are nice to look at and provide shade for people, or places for animals to roost and be.
Big tanks of algae do all the plant things, but they're just big tanks of algae. They might have a purpose for like, scrubbing CO2 in a closed system, but I feel they are misplaced in an urban environment at the scale portrayed. Maybe just as an art object.
> We might as well just put ponds with bubblers around. The algae being in a futuristic green box located in the city does not make it extra special.
>
>
I mean the box can likely do far more surface area for a given volume. If you look at the concept you probably couldn't fit a pond in the area that box takes, and it is also useable space, not taken up by a water feature.
Also on an aesthetic level I much prefer this, green tanks have a weird sci-fi vibe to them, ponds that aren't covered in algae don't provide any of the same benefits, ponds that are are both kinda unsanitary and also just really grim to look at.
Their whole purpose is CO2 scrubbing. Ponds wont work because just like trees: there is no space for them. Not everything is about looks, this is about health. Not every healthy thing can/should have to look awesome or impressive.
The reason they are not misplaced in an urban environment is because the whole question was how to fit plants that scrub CO2 in concrete jungles. And what does misplaced in an urban environment even mean? Do you mean they fit better in open fields or forests? Underwater??? Where would you see them used?
For fucks sake IT'S NOT MEANT TO REPLACE TREES, JUST TO BE A SUPLEMENT TO TREES!!!
It's meant to be put where you can't put enough trees for whatever reason. The regular trees will still be alongside it.
Also it's not some weird sci-fi green sludge - it's mostly an algae aquarium.
> B. The volume is way too small to make any impact.
Algae are really efficient at photosynthesis, and very dense. I'm not an expert but that box likely is doing more photosynthesis than many trees, if you have them spread all over a city that can easily have a noticeable bump in air quality for the nearby citizens. Especially as even covering the entire pavement in tree cover isn't actually much trees at all, and this is far easier than creating massive parks.
Not to mention the destruction trees can make, their roots can easily break structures, a single misplaced tree costed me a lot, the roots destroyed my house, the branches easily broke and were heavy to the point of me not being able to take them out of the way. It had to be cut regularly.
Some trees are simply not meant for urban environments, there's nothing dystopic about that.
This can be really good in urban areas. Maybe at bus stands, along the highways, few at entry of buildings. I'd love this. Of course not as good as real trees, but hey, at least I could see some green color in my city except traffic light
Lowkey that looks dope af. Also we dont need to go to any extremes like we can have the trees and the green tanks. Ppl are too fast to hate on things. Also reaaaly off topic but if these can produce O2 and cool the climate faster than trees i say lets pump these bitches all over the place. ( leaving this note to again clarify we still dont need to replace the trees we can have both guys)
I love how whenever things like this get posted people freak the fuck out, it's a box of algae that is meant to reduce pollution in urban areas where infrastructure already in place (sewer pipes and cables underground, pavements, cables overhead etc.) makes planting new trees and letting them reach adulthood impossible and some knuckleheads act like we want to cut every single tree on the face of the earth down and put one of these where it once stood instead or complain how it isn't a tree when that's the whole point why people came up with it, yeah no shade boohoo, let's ditch them and still have no shade since a tree can't be planted where they would be placed AND have no added benefit of plants that deal with pollution, great idea guys very clever.
I dont get how none of these geniuses complaining about shadows forget buildings(Those giant structures that are the reason for these algae boxes). Makes me think most people opposing have given this 0 thought.
While I still prefer trees because they provide shadow, look better, etc. For carbon absorption, algae is waaaay better than trees. So combining these with trees could really help city's air pollution.
It's almost always viable. Take away parking lane or a car lane. Turn it into half bicycle lane, half tree line. Boom, you reduced pollution in multiple ways at once.
Only time when it's not is with super old European city centers where the roads are super thin. But thos usually already have relatively good tree coverage, soo...
It is interesting alternative, but it is worth to remember, that trees have more functions than air quality improvement, for example: trees regulate temperature, they absorb rainwater during storms, provide habitant for many animals like birds and insects. Of course trees also improve mental health, city aesthetic and many more
Interesting idea, but the main purpose of trees in urban areas is shade, not oxygen production.
Also, if your city can't accommodate trees, then your city is literally dystopian.
A Serbian guy started making these a few years back. They're so run down and ugly, I would much rather prefer a tree and it's shadow and the vibe it gives specifically in urban hell-like areas. On the other note, there's no reason not to place them underground, the selfish scientist just wanted to be talked about.
People giving their (hateful) opinions not even knowing what the subject is about...gotta love the internet...
I'm assuming the scientists have worked out how this thing would be feasible answering most of your queries that you deemed as flaws just by looking at a title and a picture...
And if you looked just a bit more closely at just the picture you'd realize it's also a sitting area, that could be placed in an urban environment where trees could not be planted or wouldn't survive. They could be used as a sitting area for a bus stop for instance...
Algae actually make the majority of Oxygen on the planet. A tree is mostly wood and has very little photosynthetic tissue by mass and area, algae on the other hand are nearly entirely filled with chlorophyll so one of these may replace several trees. Also alga grow fast and can be turned into biodiesel.
no one is replacing trees with those. there is literally a tree behind this. but trees grow too slowly and aren't as effective at photosynthesis as bacteria and algae
Algae produces more air than trees. Also this escaped the need for dirt so they could be put virtually anywhere. I feel like people don't really think before wanting to make a snotty comeback
Algae actually make the majority of Oxygen on the planet. A tree has very little photosynthetic tissue by mass being mostly made of wood, algae on the other hand are nearly entirely filled with chloroplasts so one of these may replace several trees. Also alga grow fast and can be turned into biodiesel.
As an additional air filter this would be great and could be integrated in Busstops etc, areas which are already built over, if it is to replace trees then it's stupid. But as a relatively efficient add on to reduce airpolution this is a great idea...
Now...It just has to be working in cold climates too
The only good place to put these are in a large room somewhere in a mansion with a plethora of computers. We could go with a sun roof & maybe a tank with a shark in it for good measure. That’s the only way I could see these “liquid trees” to be more natural looking within the accepted environment. 🤌🏽
If this is anything close to Ocean phytoplanktons then this is honestly cool and better at producing oxygen but Trees doesn’t just provide oxygen they provide Shade, Reduces urban heat island affects, stop desertification and are pleasant on eyes in hot weathers.
Although I wouldn't want this to replace trees and this picture is a stupid spot to put it, I imagine you could fit one in urban areas in a lot of places you couldn't fit a tree.
And what if algae produces more oxygen than trees, that's not the case, trees have very good root systems which contribute to soil affinity, also a tree can cool the air as well as 2 AC, it's not a lot cus trees stay outside but still, and the most important, trees maintain water in the soil, preventing the desert climate when it's cold at night and hot at daytime. Not to mention the ecosystem in the tree, starting from insects and finishing with squirrels, birds and so on. You can't replace something and just yell: ,,but it produces more O2,,, you need more than just O2 to live, also O2 is essential for burning
Nobody wants this garbage. Trees have much more important roles than just Making more oxygen, they lower the temperatures around. Which is most helpful in cities.
The best thing about this is it can be installed where trees would have been impossible and also avoiding damage by roots and leaf litter. I think it's a brilliant concept.
What is the CO2 footprint of making this gawdy thing? It must take energy to power it, presumably there's some kind of filtration system or other mechanical parts that all need maintenance and oil and an entire industrial supply chain. Compared to... just planting a tree.
20 years from now:
"Scientists have discovered a new way to clean CO2 from the air: TREES! Each "trees" can replace 6 fungal tanks while brightening up the neighborhood as well!"
Problem I immediately noticed with these things: some drunk dude is gonna smash that like within the first week of it being build. Trees are a bit more resilient.
It's a cool idea for places that can't have trees, my question is more what happens to the stored carbon in the algae? I assume at some point algae must be removed, and what happens to it then? because if it has to be emptied on a short-term span and let to biodegrade it's just releasing the same carbon into the atmosphere whereas a tree can store the carbon in it's bark long-term.
In fairness, they fit the aesthetics of Blade Runner 2049 >Our goal is not to replace forests, but to use this system to fill those urban pockets where there is no space for planting trees. In certain conditions of great pollution, trees cannot survive, while algae do not mind that pollution," * the "advantage of microalgae is that they are 10 to 50 times more efficient than trees," * can be used in wastewater treatment, as compost for green areas, for the production of biomass and biofuels, as well as for air purification from exhaust gases from the factories," Source: ['Liquid trees' trends on the internet, reintroduces algae alternative concept for cities](https://wpde.com/news/offbeat/liquid-trees-trends-on-the-internet-reintroduces-algae-alternative-concept-for-cities-serbia-serbian-liquid-three-3-united-nations-development-programme-undp#)
We need to get serious about the environment or there won't be one left for us to abuse.
The environment isn’t going anywhere… Humans on the other hand… Source: George Carlin…
Bad argument. So stupid infact that I will dedicate my life to making sure the environment goes away with us permanently. Building a large scale wormhole to bring us to the sun as I type this
Let me know when you are done with that wormhole.
Oh you'll know
Sigh, time to get into scalping and hoard airconditions, I'm gonna be *rich rich*.
You must have big worms
If you find the energy to create such a huge wormhole, you can single handedly solve all energy issues and get filthy rich. Maybe do the latter, pretty please?
Can you work faster ? Thanks
I, for one, am ready to meet our cross dimensional creators.
Recently read Jurassic Park and Dr. Ian Malcolm saying how arrogant man is to think we could actually “destroy the world” is forever burned in my psyche
Respectfully. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocene_extinction
This doesn’t really counter that. It kind of just adds to it. The environment will change with the extinction of humans and will include the extinction of several other species. And it’s an ongoing process. But it’s not the extinction of all life as we know it. And life will adapt over time, the same way it did before humans were even here.
I mean, I think you'll find most reasonable people will agree. The rock is stronger than us and will continue after us. Problem is of course this little nugget: > The extinction of humans and will include the extinction of several other species Really underselling what is really the most important feature of global environmental collapse!
If we go extinct, we're not exactly gonna be around to worry about if other species went extinct along with us. On top of that, humanity hasn't been particularly moved or daunted by all the species that have already gone extinct. It pretty much doesn't matter in that way.
Ok but there will still be an ecosystem after we are gone. There's no way global warming will kill all life on earth, hence there will still be an environment
I mean the sun will eventually go supernova and consume the earth. I am fully conceited enough that humans could figure out how to stop that if we lived long enough.
It will eventually.. its just that we wont
Nah profit is the only thing it matters. Money is oxygen.
Often it's not even \*space\* for trees, it's that many cities are so hot, dry and the soil and air are so polluted that most trees just can't grow there.
You're not entirely wrong, but it very much *is* about space - just not on the surface. Trees typically have fairly large root structures, and most modern cities have a LOT of underground infrastructure - water and sewage pipes, electric and internet lines, air vents for underground metro systems, that sort of thing. Planting a tree in a city doesn't just mean finding a space above ground for it.
As someone who grew up in Jakarta, which is one of the more polluted cities in the world... If you plant it, it will grow.
Maybe, but at least here in Central Europe, many cities have problems with their trees regularly dying along main roads.
A lot of it is finding trees that can grow in the heat and dryness... As well as having a truck that waters it regularly when its not raining.
There is a tree behind it.
B-but what about the people on twitter trying to make quippy comments?
I like the idea but trees can be put in a lot more public spaces than people think. Also i've done this for myself and there is an entire significant maintenance aspect to it. Algae actually makes the vast majority of oxygen on Earth and requires an entire life cycle and cleaning aspect for it to work. Almost like farming in a box. So it's a cute addendum but masses of trees require little maintenance and are an easier option.
It's effectively an art project. Using algae on large scale to extract ghgs from the atmosphere is legit, there's no reason to make these tiny tanks and stick them on street corners besides making a weird statement. And anywhere you could put one of these you could put a tree. But you're right, it's very cyber punk. A tree that you have to pay thousands of dollars for a private corporation to manufacture for you, then probably pay the same company to maintain it. It has to be plugged in. And the reason you can't just plant a tree is that those same corporations have polluted the air and soil so much that they're unfit for life.
It's being used in a place that a tree cannot grow, due to light or toxicity. They're not ripping out healthy trees to install these. "Our goal is not to replace forests, but to use this system to fill those urban pockets where there is no space for planting trees. In certain conditions of great pollution, trees cannot survive,... "
you could realistically replace walls with this like if you need to create a separation between the highway and you know somewhere else this could be an option I know trees serve the same function, but this also serves as a visual barrier to it looks like which trees don't always do in the same non-messy format
If you look at the pictures you can see a tree.
It literally mentions, trees can't grow in areas with great pollution. Think past your street corner.
Exactly, heck even trees where I live are dying.
Is it really legit though? Takes quite the amount of power to perfuse those tanks for gas exchange. They also need light for autotrophic metabolism. In waste water treatment heterotrophic metabolism might be employed at early stage but there still kind of remains the problem of what to do with the algae after wards. If they rot away they just release the carbon again.
> It's effectively an art project. Using algae on large scale to extract ghgs from the atmosphere is legit, there's no reason to make these tiny tanks and stick them on street corners besides making a weird statement. And anywhere you could put one of these you could put a tree. The tweet or post was made by a content farm and is not an official statement. And as always if something is just a screenshot(and a moldy one like that), it either is an outright lie or it highly distorts the truth. I would be very interested how effective it is and how much it would cost as urban furniture. In addition to trees. Got plenty of those as well alongside every street because otherwise the city gets too hot. Those green goop aquariums look nicer than some other things we got in the city. As functional art installations I quite like them. Durable urban reLeaf is a thing.
Blade Runner 2049? I’m getting John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness (1987) vibes, haha.
Also I'd totally wear my thneed shirt next to this to get my picture taken
Just keep in mind most of the CO2 to O2 conversion on earth is made by algae, not plant vegetation.
True, most people still believe in the lie that "amazon is the lung of the world" when the ocean is right there, generating tones of oxigen, and not breathing most of it like forests do.
Yeah the will smith documentary that he narrated said all the oxygen the Amazon produces it uses up due to sheer amount of biomass from animals and insects
Yeah that was a good one, as far as I remember the ecosystem was: Sand from Sahara blows over to the Amazon rainforest, which does not directly produce a surplus of oxygen. However, the Amazon river helps fertilize algeas in the sea, as well as adding moisture to winds blowing north to middle and north america.
that's really bad if you think about the fact that most of the ocean will be destroyed until 2050 or even faster.
One of the predicted side effects of climate change is an increase of algae in the oceans, which will end up choking out a lot of biodiversity. So in this one slim area, of oxygen generation from oceans, we don't have to worry. Thats going to increase even as everything else dies.
I watched a while ago a guy who was proposing that they fertilize the ocean with iron oxide dust to increase algae production. They claim that it can store most of the extra carbon responsible for climate change in just a few decades.
But the algae usually dies quickly sinks to the bottom and deconposes quickly. Using up all oxygen thus killing other Organisms like fish and releasing all that CO2 again.
3 step plan, drop iron, scoop algae, bury algae
People seem to forget that oxygen is actually kinda toxic to a lot of things on earth. The first mass extinction was due to an overabundance of oxygen. We just don't think of it that way because it's the opposite to animals
This has happened before in our history and is one of the extinction events. A massive algae bloom, but when the algae dies is turned the shallow oceans toxic and blocked out sunlight resulting in a catastrophic collapse and the death of 6/7 living things.
Yeah right lmfao you really think in 26 years or less the ocean will be completely destroyed? You are chugging the kool aid. I'm not saying we need to continue polluting but statements like this is why no one believes you or takes you seriously.
Source? I've been hearing "[so and so thing] will be extinct/destroyed/gone by 20__" quite often, most of which has not come true (thanks to our efforts, of course).
Typical Jeff Bezoz…
With the earth warming up, algae blooms are going to become a lot more common. So no need to pay for this. Just plant more trees
While I love more trees in the world, I really do, trees are fucking awesome, trees aren't very efficient at taking out CO2 and adding O2. It takes a pretty mature tree to provide a net positive in that balance. Adding these things to buildings and city streets that wouldn't support trees anyway is a great idea. However where you can have trees thriving, put trees because apart from the CO2 to O2 thing, they serve a lot of other functions for housing and providing nourishment for fauna, preventing erosion, cooling the ground through shade and evaporating moisture... Trees are awesome, but they aren't enough and you can't put them everywhere.
That was my first though too, shading urban areas is such an important function of trees.
It could also be very important to make terrestrial advances in this “technology” for future interstellar flight.
But “Scientists” can invent perfumed algae, though.
Yeah, but trees in city are irrelevant fro their O2 production and matter much more for their shade and local microclimate they produce.
And grass counts for most of the plant vegetation.
That's true but the main reason we want trees in cities is for shade and cooler areas due to less reflexion than like glass or concrete, which those don't really do.
But algae doesn't persist, when it dies it decomposes quickly and that O2 is used up again. The wood and plant debris that persists in forests is effectively equal to the excess O2 that remains. More wood more O2. There is only a net O2 generation if the biomass generated by plants isn't eaten, decomposed, or respired. Another interesting fact, O2 is declining in the atmosphere, burning fossil fuels and deforestation. Burning coal, oil, and gas is effectively consuming the O2 that burying that plant material generated by photosynthesis and then being preserved. He said wood...
Actually that’s kinda cool, granted, not super practical, but definitely interesting
Not as pretty as trees but they are a lot more efficient at photosynthesis than regular trees.
I'm more worried about practical issues. Such as: How easy is it to break the glass? How well will it work if covered in graffiti? What kind of maintenance is necessary? Ya know, upkeep for the container, how often it needs to be cleaned, does it need to be fed, how often the contents need to be replaced, and how much will all that cost? What ecological implications are there if there is a spill? Can it be poured down a drain?
I don't know about the glass but I think it's pretty sturdy. What comes to the algae, it only needs two things. Light and air. Graffiti or something that covers the glass isn't a problem because it seems the box has its own light. Air is done by letting air into the tank and breaking the surface tension to let the air in. The algae doesn't need anything else. No cleaning no feeding no replacing. And the algae spilling isn't anything to be worried about. It will die without proper conditions. And it can be poured down a drain because the algae will die in the sewers. When you think about it it's easier to keep a algae tank like that than maintaining a tree.
> And the algae spilling isn't anything to be worried about. It will die without proper conditions. And it can be poured down a drain because the algae will die in the sewers. > > That's not how that works. You can't just assume everything will be fine, if you've got storm drains in the city that run into a river or you've got canals and other waterways around then there's a real possibility of the algae running into these waterways and blooming, which can devastate local ecosystems. During certain seasons the canals near me are just entirely green from algal bloom. When introducing microorganisms to an ecosystem you really do need to make sure they won't cause major issues, it's quite probable it'll be fine, but unlike trees these can easily spread if there was to be a major leak.
Algae blooms happen when algae has too many resources. Every lake and pond has algae in it but the plants compete for resources thus keeping the algae population in healthy amounts. If more algae is added in a healthy water source the added algae will die because there aren't enough resources to reproduce. Algae blooms happen only in unhealthy or unstable water sources like a canal, that doesn't have a healthy and diverse plant population. Added algae at worst speeds up the algae bloom in an unhealthy water source.
There is a video on it that I think van answer some of those questions: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=inXF5JjdyHQ I think I saw someone on Reddit who lives next to it say that it's still there and working fine. It was about a year ago tho, so I don't know about now.
It's in belgrade, Serbia. I was walking by it a few days ago It's very muddy, but in an alright condition, dunno how long it will survive thoigh, it might get destroyed by 16-year old hooligans.
Plus a lot more profit for the company that sells this "solution"
They offer very little shade though, so they wouldn't help with temperature control in cities, which trees do. We can move these outside cities if they're that helpful, but don't remove trees from cities.
A. No real shading. It won't create a cooler microclimate. B. The volume is way too small to make any impact. Bad thing is bad.
You do realize there would be more than one per city, right?
We might as well just put ponds with bubblers around. The algae being in a futuristic green box located in the city does not make it extra special. I agree with Maleficent trees are nice to look at and provide shade for people, or places for animals to roost and be. Big tanks of algae do all the plant things, but they're just big tanks of algae. They might have a purpose for like, scrubbing CO2 in a closed system, but I feel they are misplaced in an urban environment at the scale portrayed. Maybe just as an art object.
> We might as well just put ponds with bubblers around. The algae being in a futuristic green box located in the city does not make it extra special. > > I mean the box can likely do far more surface area for a given volume. If you look at the concept you probably couldn't fit a pond in the area that box takes, and it is also useable space, not taken up by a water feature. Also on an aesthetic level I much prefer this, green tanks have a weird sci-fi vibe to them, ponds that aren't covered in algae don't provide any of the same benefits, ponds that are are both kinda unsanitary and also just really grim to look at.
Their whole purpose is CO2 scrubbing. Ponds wont work because just like trees: there is no space for them. Not everything is about looks, this is about health. Not every healthy thing can/should have to look awesome or impressive. The reason they are not misplaced in an urban environment is because the whole question was how to fit plants that scrub CO2 in concrete jungles. And what does misplaced in an urban environment even mean? Do you mean they fit better in open fields or forests? Underwater??? Where would you see them used?
For fucks sake IT'S NOT MEANT TO REPLACE TREES, JUST TO BE A SUPLEMENT TO TREES!!! It's meant to be put where you can't put enough trees for whatever reason. The regular trees will still be alongside it. Also it's not some weird sci-fi green sludge - it's mostly an algae aquarium.
More importantly, this can be setup instantly. You can’t have a seed be a tree instantly.
> B. The volume is way too small to make any impact. Algae are really efficient at photosynthesis, and very dense. I'm not an expert but that box likely is doing more photosynthesis than many trees, if you have them spread all over a city that can easily have a noticeable bump in air quality for the nearby citizens. Especially as even covering the entire pavement in tree cover isn't actually much trees at all, and this is far easier than creating massive parks.
Not to mention the destruction trees can make, their roots can easily break structures, a single misplaced tree costed me a lot, the roots destroyed my house, the branches easily broke and were heavy to the point of me not being able to take them out of the way. It had to be cut regularly. Some trees are simply not meant for urban environments, there's nothing dystopic about that.
This can be really good in urban areas. Maybe at bus stands, along the highways, few at entry of buildings. I'd love this. Of course not as good as real trees, but hey, at least I could see some green color in my city except traffic light
I once heard algae takes up more CO2 than trees so maybe that’s a reason.
It does but only because there is so much more of it I think. Water covers 70% of our earth so more algae can thrive than forest here
I mean, I've seen a lot of bus shelters vandalized but trees don't generally get that much hate.
I once heard algae takes up more CO2 than trees so maybe that’s a reason.
Imagine if every bus stop had one of these built in.
alternative ≠ replacement.
Seriously. And trees aren't viable in all areas. These are.
Lowkey that looks dope af. Also we dont need to go to any extremes like we can have the trees and the green tanks. Ppl are too fast to hate on things. Also reaaaly off topic but if these can produce O2 and cool the climate faster than trees i say lets pump these bitches all over the place. ( leaving this note to again clarify we still dont need to replace the trees we can have both guys)
Yeah it's not a zero sum game, we can have trees and algae tanks
And what about the environnemental cost for making , installing and maintaining these things ?
Ahhh I love trees so much. Not as much as I love vats of algae, but pretty close!
Hey I think I saw this like 2 years ago...
I love how whenever things like this get posted people freak the fuck out, it's a box of algae that is meant to reduce pollution in urban areas where infrastructure already in place (sewer pipes and cables underground, pavements, cables overhead etc.) makes planting new trees and letting them reach adulthood impossible and some knuckleheads act like we want to cut every single tree on the face of the earth down and put one of these where it once stood instead or complain how it isn't a tree when that's the whole point why people came up with it, yeah no shade boohoo, let's ditch them and still have no shade since a tree can't be planted where they would be placed AND have no added benefit of plants that deal with pollution, great idea guys very clever.
I dont get how none of these geniuses complaining about shadows forget buildings(Those giant structures that are the reason for these algae boxes). Makes me think most people opposing have given this 0 thought.
While I still prefer trees because they provide shadow, look better, etc. For carbon absorption, algae is waaaay better than trees. So combining these with trees could really help city's air pollution.
These are meant for heavily settled urban areas, where planting new trees isn't viable.
It's almost always viable. Take away parking lane or a car lane. Turn it into half bicycle lane, half tree line. Boom, you reduced pollution in multiple ways at once. Only time when it's not is with super old European city centers where the roads are super thin. But thos usually already have relatively good tree coverage, soo...
It is interesting alternative, but it is worth to remember, that trees have more functions than air quality improvement, for example: trees regulate temperature, they absorb rainwater during storms, provide habitant for many animals like birds and insects. Of course trees also improve mental health, city aesthetic and many more
Interesting idea, but the main purpose of trees in urban areas is shade, not oxygen production. Also, if your city can't accommodate trees, then your city is literally dystopian.
Me when I was a kid not cleaning my fishtank. But mum it's a liquid tree.
Something new for some idiot to smash.
Can't wait for idiots to break the glass and spill green stinky algaes everywhere on the floor
People want trees because they clean the air. This does it better and doesnt require cleaning the leafs of the floor or your car
A Serbian guy started making these a few years back. They're so run down and ugly, I would much rather prefer a tree and it's shadow and the vibe it gives specifically in urban hell-like areas. On the other note, there's no reason not to place them underground, the selfish scientist just wanted to be talked about.
But why..... we could just plant more trees...
Just plant a damn tree. Is it that hard or what.
People giving their (hateful) opinions not even knowing what the subject is about...gotta love the internet... I'm assuming the scientists have worked out how this thing would be feasible answering most of your queries that you deemed as flaws just by looking at a title and a picture... And if you looked just a bit more closely at just the picture you'd realize it's also a sitting area, that could be placed in an urban environment where trees could not be planted or wouldn't survive. They could be used as a sitting area for a bus stop for instance...
I think this is more urban areas where trees can’t grow or something
Algae actually make the majority of Oxygen on the planet. A tree is mostly wood and has very little photosynthetic tissue by mass and area, algae on the other hand are nearly entirely filled with chlorophyll so one of these may replace several trees. Also alga grow fast and can be turned into biodiesel.
It's already existed but it was in ocean.
Birds hate this one trick!
We out here making Oxygen Not Included a reality with our Algae Terrariums
no one is replacing trees with those. there is literally a tree behind this. but trees grow too slowly and aren't as effective at photosynthesis as bacteria and algae
I can feel the collective sigh of relief of my allergy stricken brothers and sisters 🤣🤣
I thought that was a giant Gameboy for a second
Wouldn't gas exchange be impossible with this? Isn't that the entire point of this?
As much I enjoy the posts I don't understand what 'me_irl' means anymore
I live in Oakland, CA. Every bus stop is smashed in. This would NEVEr work.
Being a human being is to engineer a solution where a natural one already exists.
I think you might be missing a couple of specifications. -Photosynthesis ☑ -Cool down cities ❌ -Looks good ❌ ...
what the fuck
Scientists didn't create this. It's been around for millions if not billions of years. Scientists...put it in a glass box.
Fuck them birds
Just wait till the “mostly peaceful protesters” or gang people break said glass.
I’ve seen enough ninja turtles to know what happens next
Algae produces more air than trees. Also this escaped the need for dirt so they could be put virtually anywhere. I feel like people don't really think before wanting to make a snotty comeback
This would be an awesome way to AUGMENT treelife in urban areas.
The first one was put in the street that has no trees whatsoever. It looks dirty, but I think it's because of the pollution.
I knew it wasn't the states when I saw a 6ft long unobstructed sitting area.
It's placed in Belgrade, Serbia.
A glass container full of soylent green, how fitting for our modern urban center areas!
Soylent green is people!
It's gonna be great when someone breaks it and green stinky goop goes everywhere
If one tank can do like 20 trees worth I get it, if it's one tree or less then NOPE.
Algae actually make the majority of Oxygen on the planet. A tree has very little photosynthetic tissue by mass being mostly made of wood, algae on the other hand are nearly entirely filled with chloroplasts so one of these may replace several trees. Also alga grow fast and can be turned into biodiesel.
As an additional air filter this would be great and could be integrated in Busstops etc, areas which are already built over, if it is to replace trees then it's stupid. But as a relatively efficient add on to reduce airpolution this is a great idea... Now...It just has to be working in cold climates too
The only good place to put these are in a large room somewhere in a mansion with a plethora of computers. We could go with a sun roof & maybe a tank with a shark in it for good measure. That’s the only way I could see these “liquid trees” to be more natural looking within the accepted environment. 🤌🏽
Vandals who like to break windows will be pleased. Hovever may be good on rooftops.
If this is anything close to Ocean phytoplanktons then this is honestly cool and better at producing oxygen but Trees doesn’t just provide oxygen they provide Shade, Reduces urban heat island affects, stop desertification and are pleasant on eyes in hot weathers.
Vegan smoothies be like
PRAISE THE GOO!
Who needs trees and nature anyway, so messy!
And this is how you create new life forms.
Technically it would require at least one person to want this in order for it to happen
Although I wouldn't want this to replace trees and this picture is a stupid spot to put it, I imagine you could fit one in urban areas in a lot of places you couldn't fit a tree.
Just wait for the first riots some idiots breaking the window.
And what if algae produces more oxygen than trees, that's not the case, trees have very good root systems which contribute to soil affinity, also a tree can cool the air as well as 2 AC, it's not a lot cus trees stay outside but still, and the most important, trees maintain water in the soil, preventing the desert climate when it's cold at night and hot at daytime. Not to mention the ecosystem in the tree, starting from insects and finishing with squirrels, birds and so on. You can't replace something and just yell: ,,but it produces more O2,,, you need more than just O2 to live, also O2 is essential for burning
Just waiting for a ninny on a cell phone to drive into it.
Algae isn't a new thing, it's been around forever. Putting it on a blender and calling it trees is full moronic.
Nobody wants this garbage. Trees have much more important roles than just Making more oxygen, they lower the temperatures around. Which is most helpful in cities.
The best thing about this is it can be installed where trees would have been impossible and also avoiding damage by roots and leaf litter. I think it's a brilliant concept.
What is the CO2 footprint of making this gawdy thing? It must take energy to power it, presumably there's some kind of filtration system or other mechanical parts that all need maintenance and oil and an entire industrial supply chain. Compared to... just planting a tree.
Well actually I expect those algae would produce way more oxygen than a single tree. Maintenance probably makes it not worth it though
I have a feeling someone would come over with a bat or crowbar and try to break it.
"Hey here's a solution to a problem" "Heh, I don't think so" -snarky twitter dumbass "My hero!" -redditors
I’m someone who wants this
The reason behind all of this is: it can absorb more CO2 than a regular tree. This dudes comment in the pic is just cluelessness.
Sewage
Yes we do! We'd have better air AND the goo! Honestly the goo would be enough, no special properties
And for those who hate shade
Wat does it do again?
Better than absolutely nothing.
Big day for people who enjoy oxygen.
We want green technology! No! Wait! Not like that!
I think they're neat.
HULK ~~SMASH~~ CUM!!!
Thom Yorke already did this one guys
Don’t know if there’s a safe place in this world to put those tanks with any confidence they wouldn’t be vandalized and smashed
20 years from now: "Scientists have discovered a new way to clean CO2 from the air: TREES! Each "trees" can replace 6 fungal tanks while brightening up the neighborhood as well!"
we have green slime in a glass tank at home...
Problem I immediately noticed with these things: some drunk dude is gonna smash that like within the first week of it being build. Trees are a bit more resilient.
Another secret Reddit ad from big goo.
??? Maybe a 'street aquarium' would bring people's attention.
Tell me why you should replace a tree if not for another tree.
What a stupid take. This rules and I want it.
r/marijuanaenthusiasts
We need to do something about the homeless druggies before doing anything like that. They'd just break it.
trees and liquids are not enemies, in fact they are kissing
trees also provide shade, lower temperature, regulate humidity, are home for instects and birds, are 100x cheaper and just look nice....
Looks like mood slime to me. Somebody better keep an eye out for Viggo.
How can I use it as a mask?
Somewhere, some dude is plotting on how to get into that green algae tank nekkid without getting busted by the police
I am
SpongeBob was truly ahead of its time "And the walls will ooze green slime!"
cool until someone decides to punch them
It's a cool idea for places that can't have trees, my question is more what happens to the stored carbon in the algae? I assume at some point algae must be removed, and what happens to it then? because if it has to be emptied on a short-term span and let to biodegrade it's just releasing the same carbon into the atmosphere whereas a tree can store the carbon in it's bark long-term.