'World's Biggest Air Purifier' Reportedly Proves Its Efficiency in China

The problem of air pollution remains unresolved in the city of Xian in northern China's Shaanxi province. In winter, the problem is exacerbated, given that much of the city’s heating depends on coal.

Researchers at the Institute of Earth Environment at the Chinese Academy of Sciences continue to test what they describe as the world's biggest air purifier.

Built last year, the 100 meters (328 feet) high experimental air purification tower in the northern Chinese city of Xian is designed to help contain smog levels in the area.

Right now, research is under way "to find an effective, low cost method to artificially remove pollutants from the atmosphere" with the help of the Xian tower, according to the South China Morning Post.

China builds ‘world’s biggest air purifier’ (and it seems to be working) A 100-metre high air purification tower in Xian in Shaanxi province has helped reduce smog levels in the city, preliminary results suggest — https://t.co/uaQz2uNuea pic.twitter.com/VUSOA2seY6

— Parent-Posts (@prntpsts) 16 января 2018 г.

The newspaper cited head of the research Cao Junji as saying that the tower has produced more than 10 million cubic meters (353 million cubic feet) of clean air per day since its launch in 2017.

He mentioned air quality-related improvements over an area of ten square kilometers (3.86 square miles) in Xian which still depends on coal in terms of heating, something that adds significantly to the city's air pollution.

READ MORE: China Unveils Human 'Smog Tasters' to Tackle Air Pollution

"The tower has no peer in terms of size," Cao said, adding that the results of its testing "are quite encouraging" and that the tower "barely requires any power input throughout daylight hours."

The facility uses a spate of greenhouses located near the tower to help heat up polluted air which then passes through multiple layers of cleaning filters. The greenhouses cover an area about half the size of a soccer field.

READ MORE: As Pollution Levels Rise, China Looks to Clear the Air With 'Vertical Forests'

Meanwhile, residents have remained at odds over the effectiveness of the tower, with some claiming that the air quality in the city has significantly improved and others insisting that they see no improvement.