The Future Of Trees Is Liquid

[@aDifferentJT]

These do sound great, but as you point out at the end, these don’t replace trees, and the fact that that’s how they’ve been being talked about is, I suspect, why a lot of people are uncomfortable with them. Ultimately sell them as devices that can consume CO2 and produce oxygen, not as replacements for trees, and it sounds a lot less dystopian.

[@carnitagroves7758]

Well said

[@TheBaca219]

We still need tree-shade to not cook in the cities. Something that "professional" city planners often overlook. Edit: Yes, there is a cost to trees in the city. Yet, the cost is much lower than one inquired by the deployment of water curtains and rescuing people who fainted. Lastly the word professional is in quotations to imply the lack of their professionalism.

[@Mountain-Man-3000]

I think it sounds more dystopian.

[@98Zai]

1:08 This is dystopian.

[@dandy10195]

they aren't trying to replace trees and this prototype was made by a university, not a company trying to sell a product, a few poorly worded tweets or clickbait articles are not the views or goals of the people actually making these,

[@MuusTri]

Living in Central Europe, I'd say, the most important positive effects of trees in cities are cooling (by releasing moisture and giving shadow) and scattering car sounds.

[@Artemis-eu5ql]

Can you just be grateful nature grows trees?

[@Imgonnakmsstg]

@@Artemis-eu5ql I’m pretty sure his comment is him being grateful for trees

[@cp70375]

The fact that they completely ignore this fact is mind boggling, like yes tree do remove co2 from the air bu mostly, THEY MAKE PLACES COOLER

[@PrimusInvictus]

also trees themselves are completely degradable bio matter and increase the bio diversity by providing housing space for hundreds of organisms that can be free. These tanks are gimmicky, but cannot replace urban trees. As much as I'd love them to, since I'm allergic and we only use male trees (the ones that release pollen) so we don't have the fruit lying around, molding.

[@behemoth2887]

And they look beautiful

[@kbee225]

Trees have various other benefits, like shade, they keep urban areas cooler(they're great reflecters of Infrared light), a food source for pollinators, shelter for birds/small animals. Theyre also good at trapping particulate dust. Not to mention lumber, firewood. Trees also don't need as much maintenance like these cells if you are clever about your choices. You can plant draught resistant native species that practically need no maintenance. And if you're careful about the placement they'll be protected from herbivores.

[@ZZ-qy5mv]

They're beautiful and good for mental health too. Planting trees and bushes have been reported to even lower crime.

[@kbee225]

@@ZZ-qy5mv I did not know that, but I'm not surprised!

[@Bleepbleepblorbus]

Maybe in the future we could grow tree vertically I know they kind of do it now but it doesn't really work and is mostly used by shady governments that try to make themselves look better

[@tomtheplummer7322]

If you don’t mind sap, bird poo, or insect dew. Who doesn’t want to park your car under a shady tree? Or too sit and picnic?

[@ZentaBon]

@@tomtheplummer7322nobody minds though. The downsides of no trees are greater

[@trenvert123]

Not just the aesthetics of trees, there is also the benefit of greenery just being cooler than concrete. Greenery evaporates water from their leaves similar to sweat but for a city, which naturally cools down an area. It's why poorer neighborhoods with lots of concrete, little to no natural parks left, and large supermarkets like walmart with massive concrete parking lots nearby can be super hot hellscapes, while richer neighborhoods with a lot of greenery can be balmy and cozy.

[@AndiNewtonian]

This is absolutely fascinating! I love trees, and my house is surrounded by them. But I can definitely see the value in liquid trees in places that can't support trees. Or as a supplement to trees.

[@Nick-cs4oc]

I’m sure private equity and the auto industry will see it as such… and not an excuse for their terrible actions and an opportunity to sell the solution

[@Respectable_Username]

This seems like something relatively easy to install on the rooftops of a skyscraper, not needing space for roots like a tree. Give building maintenance companies a small tax incentive to install them on their buildings and you could be adding the sequestration capacity of hundreds of trees pretty quickly!

[@Philemaphobia]

Make it rooftop panels, they work where solar panels make no sense to install.

[@kbee225]

@@Philemaphobia how? They can't be used in places where there's not enough sunlight. Also not to mention a lot of countries where it gets cold enough to freeze in the winter, you'd need extra energy to keep the water in these liquid.

[@Philemaphobia]

@@kbee225 trees need enough sunlight as well, they need underground space (which is taken in cities by infrastructure) as much if not more space than they need overground. Freezing winters are less and less a problem in my country, adding an algae friendly antifreeze like glycerine though, shouldn’t be the problem. Our summers are so dry now that the cities ask citizens to water public urban foliage, the fire departments have to water our city trees. They get so hot and dry they regularly shed their outer layers which makes them less effective against insects in summer and fungi come autumn, less freeze resistant in winter. Not to mention all the human and dog waste water a typical urban tree has to deal with, which often leads to deformities and less leaf growth than healthy trees. Their leaves are also often ‚thickly‘ covered in emission dust, tyre rubber dust and other crap that inhibits their ability to produce Oxygen. I love trees. Literally grew up next to the forest,forests are an important part of my whole countries culture even, but city trees don’t do as much as you think they can do. We had trees in cities for hundreds of years (if not always) and still city climate is unsustainable even in ‚green-ish’ countries. Clearly cities need more than ‚just‘ trees.

[@TheInfintyithGoofball]

@@Philemaphobia sounds like the trees in your area are all around *ucked

[@Philemaphobia]

@@TheInfintyithGoofball sounds like city trees are fighting for survival, yeah. And ‚my‘ area supposedly is a quite green one - Berlin, Germany. Our trees need some help. It’s not even their job to clean up after us, they didn’t evolve for that purpose, we can’t expect that the solution to our catastrophic ecological behavior just grows on trees.

[@johnmillerpere_grin6371]

I'm glad that we're not REPLACING trees with photobioreactors. I cannot live without real trees sprucing up my environment. (lol) A glowing, green tank that works as a bench, public charging station, possible art piece, etc. would do very well in a city environment, especially since cities sidewalks tend to be pretty bland. Now I'm designing some of these PBRs in my head.

[@ConstantChaos1]

Remember photosynthetic algae aren't all green, imagine a series of colorful tanks, maybe even a sculpture that's colored by the fact that its a bunch of hollow compartments that are connected to the PBR it would be so beautiful and it's like cyber punk meets fey wimsy

[@wolfgrey8483]

These would make such cool windows imo, if someone could find a design that would work you could probably do a huge wall along a building thats just purifying the air. This tech really has potential especially if its used with natural green spaces rather than being used to replace them.

[@MrBoegela]

puts out fires too if one breaks out and the heat breaks the glass

[@readyforlol]

I wonder if you could get the chemistry down to also be a viable environment for small fishes or shrimps to have stuff swimming around in there. Still no tree replacement, but i'm sure watching the little guys go about their day would also be good for your mood.

[@kbee225]

No I'd like my window to be not tinted green.

[@TheBlackAbyss1]

@@readyforlol Im pretty sure Tom Scott did a vid about a fishery that uses algae and and also for water treatment

[@MrScorpianwarrior]

@@kbee225. That'd be a great dystopian novel, some title like "Green Glass." A world with no remaining _real_ plants

[@sebastiaogomes6662]

It looks like a cool solution for cities with really high density or desert lands where we can scale this to a factory size. Apart from this, Trees are very cheap and they reduce noise pollution, they cool the cities during the summer and overall make people happier! I am looking forward to see this in place of course!

[@nickalderman5943]

I love the idea of these in a form factor the size of a window for apartments and homes to perpetually purify indoor air. And maybe even as a respirator for personal use in places like Hong Kong, Beijing, most urban areas in India, and etc

[@AceAlbatros]

As a person that worked with wastewater during high school, I love that we can use this as a filter!

[@elmersito3k]

u worked with poop?

[@winstone1080]

You were a…janitor in high school?

[@elmersito3k]

@@winstone1080 he was a professional sewage consultant for a public academic building

[@Lardianyt]

​@@elmersito3kResumes be like.

[@AceAlbatros]

@@winstone1080 no I literally worked the machines, clarifiers and all. But yes I still did grounds keeping and cleaning. I was 17 and my friends father owned the plant. I was given the job

[@criskiss500]

i can see these devices being really useful on top of the buildings. like plating trees pn building but without the risk of literally damaging the building because of the roots

[@TriteHexagon]

I'm working with microalgae for my PhD! They are indeed super cool 😁 Thanks for bringing attention to the topic.

[@SiddhArtha96]

I'm doing a PhD on Structural Biology. Watching this and then your comment made me feel relieved I'm not the only nerd in here. 😂. Although, Kudos to you and your work in the future 🎉😊

[@TriteHexagon]

@@SiddhArtha96 Good luck to you too!

[@Flesh_Wizard]

You two could work together and build an algae tree :)

[@Literallyjustmint]

@@SiddhArtha96you really thought you were the only nerd here? This is a science channel...

[@ConstantChaos1]

Don't some come in other colours? I'm pretty sure they do and I'm imagining a sculpture made of a bunch of hollow tanks connected to the PBRs for each type of algae so it's a glowing multicolored sculpture that brings clean air and good vibes, very fey cyber punk (high tech fairies)

[@thefinalsif]

I really think the main issue is that some people try to sell/see these as replacements for trees when it should really be sold as a replacement for boring city benches. Why not have a city bench that's also cleaning the air? How many city benches have you walked past in busy downtown areas that could've been cleaning stuff up? The perspective really is everything, and when you highlight the bench aspect, it does a lot to help people understood their role.

[@siewheilou399]

Real big cities are removing benches, just look at New York, New York.

[@Iquey]

​@@siewheilou399that's just evil.

[@siewheilou399]

@@Iquey Tell that to the Mayor of New York city, New York.

[@Kualinar]

Those won't replace trees, but can absolutely complement trees.

[@Alice_Walker]

I'm 44 and I am both amazed and unsettled by how much tech is starting to resemble the things I read in sci fi as a kid. I don't remember the book's name but this video vividly reminds me of a description of a city where there was algae in the walls of all the skyscrapers that functioned to clean both the air and waste water as well as providing food 🌿

[@coolcoolercoolest212]

Star Wars?

[@BrandonDBaxter]

Does it sound like Star Wars idiot

[@crystalroseblue6760]

I am 75 and delight in what I am seeing,new thing new insights. And this infomation solves a ancient puzzel of what was found inside broken ancient pipes ,it was sumised it to be algae of some kind but did not know what for or why......now they know.

[@aazhie]

lots of cool sci fi authors were coming up with the most interesting and strangely practical concepts :D

[@doomdoom1111]

@@aazhie I AGREE with you!

[@kmcsciguy]

Read about the liquid3 dee weeks ago and thought this is excellent tech! Though they shouldn’t call them “liquid trees” - they should make it known there’s algae doing the process.

[@BlueSmoke216]

Another exciting thing about their space efficiency is incorporating them into existing buildings. Imagine rings of algae pipes around skyscrapers and apartment blocks. Eventually someday we might be able to use the excess algae/cyanobacteria for biodiesel or bioplastics. I am still very pro-tree and plants in general. Incorporating more gardens and green spaces into our cities would be great too.

[@arifbagusprakoso2308]

Excellent idea.

[@rydaddy2867]

Could literally take 1 floor of any giant glass skyscraper and offset a massive amount of the building's CO2.

[@GaianEntertainment]

Agreed. I'd love to see shallow-root plants covering rooftops and green tubes winding down tall buildings. Then again, I've always loved the look of overgrowth in post-apocalypse movies/series so if covering buildings with vines and other plants could be done without negative effects, I'd be all for it.

[@MutleeIsTheAntiGod]

Suuuuure And how many companies will just buy some of these, write it off, and do nothing else to reduce carbon footprint?

[@Fractured_Unity]

@@MutleeIsTheAntiGodHow is that the bio reactor’s fault, or a bad thing in the first place? That’s like saying corporations planting trees for the carbon offset is bad. It’s not a perfect solution and it’s not the end state of carbon neutrality, but it’s better than nothing. Corporations and your average person understands this. Target far more harmful things than something that’s insufficient helping in your opinion. That’s the most efficient and effective way to work towards your goals.

[@Amyliah_Violet]

I think these would probably be better suited as an indoor and emergency solution to air pollution; they don’t seem like they could substitute many of the other benefits green spaces in urban areas can offer. Very happy this technology exists though, and excited to see what more we can learn :)

[@thelastleocorn7979]

You can put them in places like roofs and alleys with more ease than a tree that needs dirt you can't feasibly put on a roof and they can be used along side trees to boost co2 absorption while you wait for the trees to grow. They're meant to act like a power up for trees, not to completely replace them

[@kisakisakura6663]

Looking at the tubing form, having them attached to individual buildings might very well be a feasible addition to what natural greenery does. I can't talk for anyone else, but seeing this, I really want a home that has it's south facing side completely covered in pannels/tubing or other interesting shapes. Either this or solar pannels, but the algea is kind of winning me over, especially since the system could probabbly be attached to indoor plumbing and the waste be used for a garden, roof top garden even if space is that tight.

[@lunaliciousgeek]

Yeah, it would be great for a hospital I bet since there's people to maintain it as well as a need for power/seating/space-saving, etc

[@dillpickkle]

⁠@@lunaliciousgeekima keep it real with you chief I don’t think the over worked staff at a hospital are going to have time to maintain this. Although hospitals glowing green would be as if they are a video game health station sounds pretty neat.

[@sammysaito529]

⁠@@dillpickkleit said in the video that growing this actually take less to maintain than actual trees so if hospital can grow normal tree, they can grow this

[@kiminimuchu__]

That honestly sounds amazing for those large urban areas that nowadays have little to no trees, I hope this becomes more widespread. Sure, it's not as nice as having actual trees around, but lets face it, the cities that cut down all their trees to build infrastructure are not about to go replant them on those areas again, so this is an awesome alternative to at least get some of the trees' benefits.

[@Rorther]

Not really. You would need millions of gallons to be somewhat effective. Imagine the amount of glass/plastic, to produce it, and to move it around the cities or to other cities. It would probably be deficit of oxygen after all.

[@imlivingunderyourbed7845]

​​@@Rorther​An acre of trees can absorb up to 2.6 tons of carbon dioxide EACH YEAR. While one acre of algae can remove up to 2.7 tons PER DAY of CO₂. That's how overpowered algae is compared to trees.

[@olorinistar9903]

I've always found it interesting how much people focus on trees as our oxygenators, considering the majority of earth's oxygenation is done by algae and other photosynthetic microorganisms

[@mariotheundying]

Yeah but trees are still very important and also cool cities down

[@JohnSmith-bw6pv]

I think this lady is the real issue stealing all the air talking a million miles and hr..

[@YourMomsAltAccount]

@@JohnSmith-bw6pv???

[@nicholas31415]

How many years would it take just to reach carbon neutrality after building and installing these tanks? When she said these tanks can start sequestering CO2 immediately instead of waiting 30 years for a tree to reach max potential, I immediately thought about the CO2 created to produce them. They start out pretty negative, unlike planting a tree.

[@MindForgedManacle]

The lower amount of carbon sequestration a tree can accomplish is also a factor. The equivalent of a tank of gas per year, and I assumed this is for a matured tree, does give me some pause to consider these.

[@Wo1fie]

If it can last then it helps. When I was in elementary school we had a project where we planted a few hundred trees on campus. I lived close by in high school so I checked out the campus one day and found that not a single tree we planted were still there. The tree my classmates and I dug a spot for, planted, and took care of for over a year doesn't exist. Neither does the hundreds of other trees that other groups did the same thing for. Planting a tree is cool and good but it doesn't make much difference if it's dead and removed in less than 2 years.

[@exploding_cake9402]

the wording was less than a tank of gas, so that just improves the argument for using the tanks

[@georgesos]

In Athens, the mayor and his "developer " friends, planted 4 of these in a square, and used the "science " as an excuse ,to cut down 65 trees that were "in the way" (of the plans of his friends). This is just another "market solution " to the crisis that will destroy us all. Science doesn't have any answers we can depend on,as it is today too close to the markets and the rich and disconnected from the world .

[@WhichDoctor1]

you also have to take into account the CO2 emitted in the regular upkeep trees have to undergo in cities. Chainsaws and wood chippers for regular pruning, road sweepers to collect dead leaves in the autumn etc. These tanks might have inbuilt carbon that does not exist in a tree sapling, but trees do require carbon emissions for their upkeep. There are some lovely big trees in my town just down the road from my house. But one got honey fungus infection last year and hat to be felled. The trunk was as wide as i am tall at the base. That trunk then had to be sawn up with chainsaws into sections small enough to be loaded onto a van small enough to get into the small park the tree was growing in. Most of the branches were turned into wood chips. And the stump was ground out with a stump grubber. All fossil fuel powered machines, and apart from the van i'm not sure there are viable electric alternatives atm. Trees win hands down out in the country where they can be planted and left to grow themselves. But in cities they may not be as carbon efficient as you might think

[@giglefreakz]

I feel like the overall better solution is to just overhaul existing roads and cities to accommodate more green space and vegetation, which would provide a lot more benefits than just better air quality.

[@upinskad]

Also trees and shrubs lower temperature in cities, provide habitats for city dwelling animals and more

[@glenngriffon8032]

We could start in the US by no longer planning city layouts for car traffic but instead by foot traffic

[@maximilianosalvador9559]

Sure, completely raze the 4000 or so big cities in the world and build them all anew to just be greener. It's a nice idea but not really feasible

[@johnsober]

When a solution is overall better it means it also concerns itself with logistics and unfortunately, the solution you're offering is extremely longterm and requires things like relocating entire or parts of cities which involves relocating people and industries. One of the greatest mistakes we made in the 20th century was not thinking ahead when it comes to facilitating massive and thorough infrastructural changes. And that's before mentioning as the video pointed out, you need *a lot* more trees. It makes more sense to do something like eliminating the need for cars by having extensive and extremely efficient public transport systems before facilitating cities having more trees.

[@jamesmnguyen]

​​@@glenngriffon8032 dream of that day every day. Having the option to walk/short-transit to my local grocery store instead of driving would be so nice.

[@Arukorstza]

I like this. It really has that dystopian vibe the world has been going for lately.

[@THIRTEENTH13TH]

full tyranny dystopian, lovin it

[@derchozenvun83]

It's also a stolen idea meant for sustainable and renewable oxygen production in space. Don't work with these folks if you want to live more than another decade.

[@imlivingunderyourbed7845]

Trees may look more pretty but they're never gonna suck up as much CO2 as algae can. We might as well value functionality over aesthetics when climate change is at stake.

[@cixzejy]

Do people just call anything dystopian now? Hove you ever even read a dystopia?

[@derchozenvun83]

@@cixzejy it was stolen from the inventor through observation against their will; it's dystopian from its source of design being transferred by default and anything following as it's from an inferior thieving source implying absolute hierarchical inversion.

[@der.Schtefan]

Here in Europe we simply plant trees in our cities. Literally every street is full of them here in Berlin. Especially to keep the air cool.

[@93mica]

Well Belgrade is also in Europe and it has parts that are full of trees but it is still very polluted because of many reasons. I think this should be added somewhere where it isnin't really possible to plant trees but not completely replace trees.

[@MatthewSpencerKociol]

Yeah but like the host said, you'd need 50 trees to offset the carbon of one gas powered car... We're probably gonna need carbon sucking algae farms eventually to stop global warming.

[@kristelbrok998]

​@@MatthewSpencerKociolor we could stop being dependant on cars, or atleast to the extend that we are currently. Better to fix the core issue, than symptom-treat 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@shogun2215]

​@@kristelbrok998It's not a question of being less dependent on cars, it's a question of making the cars zero emission. Because public transport is NOT a viable replacement foe a personal car, I've spent the last 15 years getting around using public transport because I have no alternative, and I've hated every minute of it.

[@kristelbrok998]

@@shogun2215 i've been dependent on public transport, and i didnt mind it. Because the system here is actually decent

[@HarshVocals]

What about cities like singapore, they seem to be able to incorporate trees and plants in the infrastructure of the buildings quite well. I also become a bit worried when i see the phrase "replace trees" when considering other problems like biodiversity. Urban conservation seems to have more overall benefits if you consider more then just human values

[@KingDetonation]

She literally said they aren't replacing trees

[@EdwardChan.999]

This technology is oriented for cities that currently have no/ insufficient trees, not for cities with existing trees.

[@ezgolf1764]

thats because it was planned out from the start, we have the massive benefit of basically having our modern infrastructure begin developing 50 years ago, so the government has been able to literally shape the country into what it sees fit

[@SioxerNikita]

​@@ezgolf1764No, it wasn't. No one knew what to do about cities, which is why they developed in so many different ways around the world.

[@huldu]

It's great if that was the initial design choice but if not like many other cities around the world they're basically concrete jungles by default. It would cost so much to "greenify" a lot of urban areas. With that said many do but like I said at the end of the day it boils down to money and space.

[@fauzirahman3285]

This would work well working side-by-side with trees and also where it's a lot harder to plan trees, such as on top of buildings or incorporated into buildings, or narrow spaces between roads.

[@ianbelletti6241]

The one thing thats overlooked is that these things will require maintenance as well. There will be points where you'll haver to remove dead/excess algae from the reactor to keep it running at peak effociency, let alone maintaining the aeration, pump systems, and lighting. These may require more costs long term than just planting and maintaining trees and they don't provide the essential shade that city streets often lack. By the way, you can buy 30 year old trees to plant if you have sufficient funds. These biofilters seem more like a supplimental solution rather than a primary solution.

[@Jayantea]

exactly, we need the real trees for preventing soil erosion, for fuits rubber and other stuff, but to improve the air quality and absorbing contaminants i think this would be an amazing solution

[@djdissi]

Glad you mentioned that. Maintenance and cost would be a very real issue. Every 6 weeks she said? That's not low maintenance. Drop the ball on that because of cost, labour shortage, etc, and it could eventually lead to new, serious problems. Imagine a grimey neglected liquid tree tank full of harmful algal bloom. You're not going to want those around your city while those taxes can no longer cover the upkeep. I'd say, contrary to what she said, in reality, trees are lower maintenance.

[@rm4po4]

Great more jobs. Sounds good.

[@thefinalsif]

Trees also require maintenance though? Like, a lot of it. Trees need to be pruned particularly when younger. Female trees will produce fruit that requires clean up. Tree roots need to be kept under control to stop them from destroying sidewalks and pipes, dying trees have to be removed often at great expense, etc. Sidewalk clearances, road clearances and power line safety all have to be regularly inspected and maintained or people can end up dead. That's not even taking into account leaf removal each fall and insect management if you get pests. Trees can be quite expensive to maintain, the operators of this tank are maintaining the single homemade tank for 60 euros a month, with no scaling. Aeration and the pump station wouldn't actually be hard to maintain in a good set up. The algae removal takes under an hour, and that algae can then be sold or used for various purposes. It's not not going to suddenly solve climate change or anything, but it's a much better bench then some boring old metal ones. In that same space you can have biofilter cleaning air while also providing a nice spot to sit down.

[@ianbelletti6241]

@@thefinalsif sure, tree maintenance has costs. However, some of that is contained in regular street maintenance and doesn't necessarily add a dime to the cleaning that they normally do. The primary issues are that the trees need less frequent maintenance and have no motorized components to worry about. You can put benches under trees, too, offering you more shade than if it was beside the biofilter. We cannot forget about the costs of the initial power and water connections for the biofilter. Because we're not given a comparison of initial costs I suspect (based on my trade knowledge) that the biofilter costs much more on install than planting a tree. But I'm in agreement with you that we cannot be looking at this as a one size fits all solution. There are places where a biofilter might be the best solution. Where possible a tree is often better. In the end we do have to look at the sliding scale in order to decide which is better.

[@megapixies]

As an ecologist, I have a question… how many species of invertebrates, fungi, mammals, birds and related plant communities does this soup sustain? An English oak for example supports over 300 other species. This is the problem with human meddling; we try to “improve” parts of a system that has evolved over eons. We chose one or two factors that suit us to justify use, however completely disregard the other key ‘ecosystem services’, to the detriment of the environment long term. Monoculture agriculture was a good idea, pesticides, fungicides, and chemical fertilisers were a good idea, coal was a good idea, oil was a good idea, plastics and so on… however ubiquitous indiscriminate use has massive global repercussions. Plus I’d rather admire a mature tree in all its glory, transitioning through its seasonal cycle throughout the year, than a glass vessel of algae. where does all the glass come from? Not entirely carbon neutral!

[@dustinnabil798]

I can see it being useful in indoor area or closed enclosure such as mall, underground train station, and inside government building.

[@judeangione3732]

I hate the idea of dealing with climate change mostly through adding more technologies but a solar powered air filter sounds pretty good. Put them at bus stops which an explanation of what's going on. It would be a great way to reach people who don't watch science shows.

[@tomtheplummer7322]

Technology pollutes 😠

[@spindash64]

I don’t see the issue of new tech. Building a better mouse trap is kinda what we DO as humans

[@oeeveemkittygfreak]

Bus stops is honestly one of the best places to put these. Quite a few bus stops have shelters which already take up space. Plus, in a properly organized bus system, bus stops are on every other block. Turning one of the shelter walls into one of these would be PERFECT.

[@marcoottina654]

@@tomtheplummer7322 you and your activities on KZbin as well. If you are SO angry, then stop immediately

[@thapaware4158]

Real Question!! : How does 1 Car that burns through 1 Full Tank with like, let's say 70L with a weight of

[@Bogwedgle]

Because carbon dioxide has 2 oxygen molecules on it. If you get a pound of carbon and burn it you get more than a pound of carbon dioxide and other stuff, because it pulls the oxygen from the air.

[@aprisia]

I'm not sure on the actual chemistry of the reaction that would occur during the burning process; but, the only possible way to get to that figure is that the carbon in the gasoline would have to combine with molecules already present in the air needed for combustion to end up with byproducts that weigh much.

[@maximilianosalvador9559]

Probably the mass of "carbon" stated is actually mass of CO2, where actual carbon is just about 30% of the mass, the rest is oxygen that's freely available in the air. Gasoline is mostly carbon with a bit of hydrogen so the 70L could maybe be 50kg of carbon that would yield about 150kg of CO2

[@Scorponox93]

Gasoline is made entirely of carbon and hydrogen atoms, carbon being much more massive than hydrogen. At 70 kg of carbon we could say it's about 50kg of carbon atoms. Each co2 molecule contains 2 atoms of oxygen, taken from the air, and 1 carbon atom, taken from the gasoline, oxygen mass is more similar to carbon, so we can easily see that 50kg of carbon atoms could bind to almost 100kg of oxygen atoms, thus making 150kg.

[@kbee225]

It's simple stoichiometry. Gasoline is mostly hydrocarbons. So if you assume a total combustion, you start with a lot of short chain hydrocarbons, then end up with carbon dioxide molecules which would be the same number of molecules as the number of carbons in the hydrocarbons. And each CO2 molecule is one carbon with two oxygens. The atomic weight of carbon is 12 g/mol( can be occasionally 14), the molecular weight of CO2 is 44 g/mol. So you can see that each carbon is almost a fourth of the weight of a CO2 molecule. Since you get the oxygen from the air the emissions will always be heavier than the fuel itself.

[@gaonsky]

The marketing shouldn't talk about tree at all. They should just push it is as solution for pollution in city.

[@Galaxy-Jessie]

Being an eco student in Belgrade, I remember the talks when this liquid tree was installed. Our professor said it was a small project of the university, so we only have this one singular aquarium. It's just up the street from the botanic garden which owns the project, and when it's time to replace the algae, they just scoop them up and dump them in a spinning drum in a special room inside one of the buildings in the botanic garden. From there they turn it into fertilizer they use in the garden itself, and this hot and humid room is where other algae are grown. But as my professor said, it's not there to "replace trees", that's not the point at all and I know people always misunderstand this. Belgrade has one of the worst air qualities in Europe so this small water tank really does almost nothing. Would this single project really turn this world into a treeless dystopias, to quote the same professor, "this is such a small scale project that I don't see it being appreciated by any investor" although he said this like, 2 years ago. Memes about this brought the project to light in all the wrong ways because people don't bother to read about the subject. And besides, bioreactors have been a thing for a while, it was just a matter of time someone thought of installing these in cities

[@fpsserbia6570]

air quality in Serbia is bad all over Serbia even worst in Uzice, Arandjelovac, Pozarevac... , but in my opinion in order this to work it would make more sense to put it on top of the buildings, or build multiple smaller or one large lake somewhere around the city, where they could also extract algae and use it in agriculture

[@carolinekaufman2210]

Aren't their several studies that indicate seeing real foliage is beneficial for mental health? I suffer terrible allergies myself, but I'm pretty skeptical about replacing trees with boxes. Despite the uncomfortable symptoms caused by a trip to the park, I always feel better overall after spending some time in nature. I could see them on the outside of large buildings, pushing clean air in, perhaps?

[@shizuwolf]

They said in the video that these aren’t meant to replace trees. It’s more like they reduce the work load for trees

[@carolinekaufman2210]

@@shizuwolf You're right! Thanks, I must have watched the video distracted.

[@mr.cauliflower3536]

Though the video said that trees are harmful to allergic people, while not mentioning the fact that there do exist hypoallergenic trees.

[@Toyota-Coaster]

​@@mr.cauliflower3536wait what??

[@mr.cauliflower3536]

@@Toyota-Coaster trees that don't trigger allergies exist

[@raccoontrashpanda1467]

If a city council can't maintain a native species of tree how are they going maintain tanks of algae? Not to mention the other benefits brought by planting more native trees.

[@watsonwrote]

Yeah native plants love being given 2.5 square feet of dirt where dogs pee on them all day and thousands of cars douse them in pollution. There are just a lot of urban areas that are not conducive to all but the heartiest plants, if any at all. Unless we plan on ripping out city buildings and downtown parking lots and replacing them with wild gardens, it's just not a solution for 95% of a city. Why not put these kinds of bioreactors in places where plants won't work? We're not going to get people to radically change urban life in the next decade, or probably century. We need to get CO2 and other pollution out of the air ASAP. We are in crisis in terms of the climate and we need to push every plausible solution as far it can go as quickly as possible.

[@JumpingSpider37]

@@watsonwroteAgreed. We’ve got to try every possible solution. I think this algae idea is incredibly ingenious. But I’d push back on the urban redesign comment though. Sure. Those changes are going to be hard. But I think we are under estimating the effect even small design changes can have. Brad Lancaster for example was able to make curb cuts legal in Tucson Arizona for the purposes of building rain basins to passively irrigate native trees. Granted, Tucson isn’t exactly a dense urban metropolis. But the point is we need to expand our creativity and rethink what can be done to accommodate more ecology in our cities. Cause like you said, we’ve got to push at every point to turn this thing around. We need to start prioritizing things like tree planting, as well as approaches like carbon sequestration via algae.

[@LineOfThy]

Well you see a tank of microorganisms are much easier to maintain than a tree.

[@TypausZuendorf]

Well they don't even replace trees in a city because taking the space to plant trees and greenery everywhere does not only make the city healthier to live in, looks better and cools the place to a huge degree but it is also better for the mental health of all people living there.

[@ebifuon6776]

I love science is taking a step in the right direction as far as the environment impact goes. One company is turning the run off from abandoned mines into paint for artist, in India a title company is collecting the co2 and soot from the air to make concrete tiles, another is using the discarded shells from shrimp and other marine life and making plastics that biograde after 50 years, and another company is using human hair made into mats to clean up oil spills. We need more science like this

[@AngryMrFixit]

It had never crossed my mind that deciduous trees stop photosynthesizing in the winter when they drop all their leaves.

[@archniki_]

Why we beed more pines

[@water7962]

@@archniki_ i love pine trees they're so calming and beautiful

[@sgufanboy]

Trees in cities keep the sun from just beaming onto streets, these don't sound like they'll help much with shade.

[@flarfo348]

or sound, and air pollution

[@Trekki200]

Can't charge your phone on a tree tho and if the tank is build with the right kind of solar panel, that could provide shade too.

[@sgufanboy]

@@Trekki200 would be nice if it was under a tree, with a nice bench, so you could charge your phone AND get some shade. They shouldn't be mutually exclusive

[@Shatterverse]

This sounds pretty cool. Hopefully the maintenance is easy - especially if you have to skim or replace a filter or however they do it every 6 weeks.

[@clusterstage]

Most people treat trees like transactional relationships; "I like trees because they produce oxygen" I like trees because they're beautiful.

[@MynameisBrianZX]

It's not at all easy, in fact algal processing is an unsolved problem.

[@TheoRae8289]

I can already see local infrastructure "forgetting" to maintain the tanks. Especially in my town.

[@clusterstage]

@@TheoRae8289 purposefully: "hey mayor, we need more budget."

[@jul.escobar]

​@@clusterstageright? I like trees cause they have homes for nature. And provide shade for all. They connect and hold the earth together, exchange water across roots and mycelium network sharing nutrients across land. Trees are above and below. Magic!

[@rebeccamd7903]

Using them in conjunction with trees and green spaces will probably be best. Wonder if anyone considered using them in building structures like double pane windows and if the green light would provide additional UV protection and thermo cooling benefits. I know the color green has a calm healing effect on humans. Thoughts?

[@macsnafu]

Sounds like a good idea to me.

[@helena_8478]

Yes, because they were never meant to replace trees, just to be a supplement.

[@will420high4]

Solarpunk is the future✊

[@shizuwolf]

Hey! A fellow solarpunk

[@CoriSparx]

4:36 How long do you suppose it's gonna take before that bench part grows some spikes? 😫

[@melissamybubbles6139]

If we had trees and made most city benches out of these solar algae filters, that would be nice. What's the maintenance like on them?

[@ZentaBon]

Wait. That's a great idea. Building benches from these!

[@Doublejho]

she said that you need to remove the excess algae every 6 weeks or so, and that's about it problem with making them benches is that A: anybody sitting on them is blocking the sunlight, B: the glass would have to be made... well, weight-resistance to the extreme, and C: vandals exist having it function as the top of bus stops would be sick, though, and i wonder if they could be incorporated into buses somehow?

[@martinduebner]

They are more of an addition, instead of replacement. I don't think anyone would want to replace trees.

[@vladivanovich]

Just an interesting thought about what you said that trees help prevent climate change. The world has always had different climates throughout humanity’s existence, so yes, climate change is real, but we’re just adding to changing it differently. It doesn’t mean it would’ve stayed as is without human intervention. The rest of the video tho? Super cool!

[@getefix3]

they mention that these tanks are less maintenance, but accidents or vandalism would take out the whole system quite easily, and with the way many city administrations work, the "bench" would be made to be as uncomfortable as possible because they'd rather spend money on hiding homelessness than actually fixing the issue

[@scurvofpcp]

My thought is give the homeless dude a bottle of windex and a single bedroom apt and tell him to keep the tanks clean on the street.

[@phelan8385]

You're basically saying never to build anything or attempt to improve anything in a city because of "accidents or vandalism".

[@TheoRae8289]

@@scurvofpcp That would take away free jail labor from "criminal homelessness"

[@TheoRae8289]

@@phelan8385 Sure. We'll go with that instead of there needing to be a LOT of innovations in that type of tech to keep it safe from being broken.

[@BenjiSun]

wouldn't that be the same or worse for a grown tree? removing the root system of an urban tree and planting a new one. how long will that sapling take to grow back?

[@AnimilesYT]

Real trees also have the benefit of shading the area around them which helps everything stay cooler during hot times. This makes real trees an essential part of any city. Maybe not so much in the parts of the world that never get 30°C weather, but any other place would definitely benefit from real trees when it comes to temperature

[@DWal32]

good news! the value of shade is going up because of the fact that regions that never get 30°C weather are rapidly shrinking due to pollution. every place would benefit

[@Paul.......]

​@@DWal32keep burnin them fuels boys we're so close to having AC everywhere 😎

[@forgottenzero897]

@@Paul....... even better idea burn old ruber tires

[@joshuamarksberry8642]

Paint and coatings can also do the same thing.

[@AnimilesYT]

@@joshuamarksberry8642 It's definitely a good addition to fight against the issue. I don't think it's as good as trees though, but the best solution is hardly ever just one or the other

[@93mica]

I never thought I will watch a SciShow video that is about an invention from my country so this makes me happy. I don't think the point of this is to completely replace trees but to try to help with Belgrad's pollution. There are plenty of trees in Belgrade but it is not enough so something like this can for sure help.

[@Chinothebad]

I remember seeing this being a thing some weeks back and finding it interesting that it would be used along side trees to deal with the pollution despite everyone else saying "just plant more trees". Then again, it didn't help the article that received the comments worded it to sound like the whole thing was to replace trees rather than having this help deal with the pollution.

[@reminso2952]

there is nothing like a nice plant free concrete city with beautiful algea containers and dispensers.

[@tunasub8097]

this is what the Lorax warned us about

[@dachoken6308]

what is the cost of production and upkeep? Like, what if i wanted to build one in front of my house?

[@faustinpippin9208]

maybe 5k, but if the gov would buy it for a city it would be maybe like 2 million

[@olli3686]

You guys know you can turn these into flat floor tiles right? You can replace the sidewalks with these and have the sidewalks glow at night as well to help save on overhead lighting which causes more light pollution

[@ambrosianapier7545]

Good idea reminds me of the glow in the dark trees for streetlights idea but it didn’t get traction. I think the glow was to low light. People in the city tend to be afraid of the dark.

[@PigeonTheory]

this would be a disaster for anybody living in a city

[@Kiralmao]

@@PigeonTheory explain why

[@MindForgedManacle]

@@Kiralmao Do you really want glass under your feet everywhere people are supposed to walk? With a shortage of sand and glass no less, that is not remotely economical.

[@ravi.k.t]

​@@MindForgedManacleyou can use it as walls and roofs

[@miriga3927]

These would be an interest and idea to put outside around a house like a secondary wall, or space a bit away from the wall for an enclosed pathway, it would keep houses cool by absorbing sun rays!

[@BigSteve_Gaming187]

I understand the hesitancy for adding plants and trees like Japan does on top of their buildings and sometimes throughout the outside of the building as it can damage the building with moisture and such but adding more types of plants and such in a soil based setup with drainage to prevent overflow/flooding would help even if its minimal.

[@ryanread8617]

This sounds great when you say it, but when you said they require some algae to remove 6 months, though low maintenance if you have hundreds of these it'll stack upon each other. It would less viable than maintaining tress, having to change the water, or check on the algae. Imagine millions of these and they'll be so expensive maintaining, they can't adapt like trees. Not including the fact humans are pretty dumb and like breaking things, I bet someone will smash the glass or fall into it.

[@Thenoobestgirl]

That's really cool! I hope they go viral all around the world :)

[@Bobucles]

Seems like a nice device to spruce up a stale old apartment room, with fresh air to boot. If it ends up comparable to the cost of an aquarium then it'd find a hobby community for sure.

[@h7opolo]

spintronics is something totally different. the manufacturers should have done their research and then decided to name it something different like "torquetronics".

[@Bleepbleepblorbus]

Or they just wanted to name it something more catchy

[@poppers7317]

Trees provide shade and create a nice atmosphere in those concrete nightmares.

[@nathanburr3994]

Let's replace trees with liquid they say. Well what will replace the wood in our houses with if we do not grow more trees. Even though this seems rather interesting and it seems to have a place in modern times it can never replace trees in the purpose trees have for us on this earth. Instead of trying to find ways to replace trees why don't we put trees everywhere regardless of size because not only do they give us oxygen and absorb CO2 they also produce food shelter and a habitat for animals and bugs alike

[@tenny810]

This would also be cool to do in school if it didn’t cost so much. sort of like how kids can make water filters in science class.

[@chrism6880]

I'd like to see them integrated into the necessary city infrastructure. You mentioned the tank could be a lamp and bench. They could also replace power and traffic light poles, for example

[@DTSK371]

“I am the Lorax and I speak for the Photobioreactors…”

[@MissShembre]

So... more things to tax the already stressed power grid? When the simple answer is to plant a tree and give it water? The only thing a tree should have in common with a fish tank is that both need water. Not that it has to be constantly watched to make sure it's electic-powered internal system and organic life/ecosystem isn't on the brink of demise.

[@AceSpadeThePikachu]

I'd love to see these things pop up in my city, but another thing they'll all meed is a deterrent against vandalism. Never underestimate the amount of damage a bunch of drunk teenagers in the late hours of the night can do to anything made of glass on a suburban sidewalk.

[@thelonelygamer361]

To be fair the video says that the park bench one is about 600 liters so the glass would already have to be really strong and hard to break, but the deterrent against breaking it would probably be to not get smacked with 600 litters of mostly water which amounts to about 600kg of water.

[@hircenedaelen]

@@thelonelygamer361 yeah if you're standing close enough to kick that, you're getting knocked on your arse at minimum by over half a metric tonne of water

[@AceSpadeThePikachu]

@@thelonelygamer361 Drunk finds a way. I see it all the time.

[@jaceyates6315]

@@thelonelygamer361 nah if they have a phone, filming all that water hitting someone or something is the prize

[@Dsyphus0]

This feels a bit like a band aid solution to a bigger problem. There are other easily growable greens that have much easier requirements than trees. Another nice benefit of greenery is cooling down areas. Nice for heat waves

[@jaywaii3187]

You still need to treat the symptoms while you try to cure the disease.

[@Dsyphus0]

@@jaywaii3187 There are other forms of treatment that are far more appealing than a green box

[@Schlittlenutacus]

@@Dsyphus0 example please?

[@TheModeler99]

@@Dsyphus0 such as?

[@bentheredonethat1350]

"Easily growable greens that have much easier requirements than trees." Isn't that exactly what this is?

[@austinmchaney]

400million years of trees existence and we think we have the future 😅😂

[@Banana505uber]

The comment on the quantity of carbon a car produces sounds funny and in accurate.

[@onemadmuppet]

150KG of carbon in a single tank of gas? 1 litre of petrol/gas contains 652g of carbon. A typical tank is 50-60 L (12-16 US gal) - so... about 35KG of carbon. About a quarter of what you stated.

[@98Zai]

I want one of those bioreactors in my home, thanks.

[@jacobp.2024]

My main issue was the idea of using this algae as 'fertilizer,' specifically when it was described as absorbing dangerous compounds that resist degradation in nature like artificial hormones. What are the risks of some pollutants being concentrated in the algae and then released into the soil?

[@Iquey]

That's just another downstream problem to figure out. I imagine another step in the process would be either an industrial form of decontaminating the algae, or doing bioremediation with other plants and fungi that are known for higher toxin absorbption abilities, like weeds and mushrooms that often take up cadmium and arsenic.

[@rivergranniss3740]

I wish you explained the way we measure "150kg of carbon in the air" because to my brain I hear that and then that it's less than one tank of gas and I'm lost because obviously a tank of gas is not 150kg, seems impossible

[@ssemo]

This

[@shoeonhead]

Maybe 150kg per x measurement?

[@TheXeart]

How heavy should a tank of gas be? 👀

[@ChrisHarmon1]

​​@@TheXeartot 330lbs of carbon from one tank of gas, lol.

[@TheMan83554]

Less than half the mass of CO2 comes from the carbon, and only the carbon component comes from the fuel. Most of the mass is oxygen, which is from the air.

[@froogsleegs]

man will quite literally invent liquid trees instead of not cutting down real trees

[@alienhippiemuzic]

simply plant more trees and build things that don't screw up nature.

[@ResortDog]

How much did the prototype cost for materials?

[@collector1150]

Yeah, I was wondering the start cost. I mean to implement these in cities could cost a ton. I mean the cost of one of these or the cost of planting two trees. The tree will be way cheaper and people are familiar to them. It might be great long term but the issue is short term. It is way expensive. Also I really worry the reactions of the public. I mean many would almost immediately vandalize, protest or destroy these wonderful and hopeful creations. God help us on regarding the public. Phew.

[@LineOfThy]

Prototype is always gonna cost more

[@amui5588]

It's nice to have more options to rely on, but would it also be possible to selectively breed Trees to be able to absorb more Carbon? Although if this process was possible I don't imagine it could be completed as fast as these Liquid3 Tanks.

[@KaosHappens]

Just get trees that grow faster. Trees have to store the carbon which means they have to get bigger.

[@amui5588]

Ah, I didn't know that. That definitely seems like a neat solution, thanks for adding to my comment! @@KaosHappens

[@vladimirbmp]

Woah, I had no idea that thing was actually a pioneering science experiment, and has all those interesting side-benefits. Belgrade is, luckily, already a very green city, full of trees and parks, and it's wonderful to walk around the city centre, especially in spring and summer - but we have a terrible terrible problem with air pollution in winter and I don't think there's a liquid tree big enough to help with that. Winter by winter Belgrade is consistently the most polluted city in Europe, oftentimes we top the worldwide charts as well. I think that's a good illustration of how there's no quick and easy solution to pollution and how it can't be fought (just) with cool sciency gimmicks like this, but rather has to be fought at it's core and prevented if possible.

[@NediSafa]

You need a lot of these!

[@Senapsdesign]

I say Liquid 3 is a bit greenwashed here. Think of all the resources that goes into producing just one unit and you quickly realise you cant call it environmentally friendly to replace trees with this. And also trees provide habitat for lots of other specie, shade etc....

[@Freckris]

The big thing about city trees is "male" trees are generally less messy because they don't fruit. Cities preferred male trees so there was less to clean up year-to-year. Unfortunately they also throw pollen. Cities created a pollen problem within cities and didn't realize it until it was too late. I look forward to algae tanks, so long as they don't smell bad, and the city keeps them clean. I have a feeling that they're subject to vandalism though.

[@NickCombs]

Since it can fit in any shape, then it might be best to put it into a form that's more similar to a tree in function. Like an awning or a pergola, but made of thin algae tanks.

[@KEVMAN7987]

It may fix air quality in cities, but the removal of shade is going to make cities inhospitably hot.

[@Kleineganz]

No one is removing shade. She said this wouldn't replace trees, just supplement the ones already there.

[@KEVMAN7987]

@Kleineganz Problem is, in the future, city planners will just put these in instead of trees, not thinking about the fact they're removing sound buffers and increasing temps.

[@Kleineganz]

@@KEVMAN7987 How do you know? Maybe they'll strategically do both?

[@KEVMAN7987]

@@Kleineganz How do I know? Because I know people are stupid a lot.

[@WiseZed3]

Can these handle the heat and sand particles? Because gulf countries would be very interested in this.

[@tomtheplummer7322]

Nothing stands up to hurricanes or typhoons and tsunamis, nor volcanos or earthquakes.

[@breimalislobodnoime]

Perhaps important to stress that the liquid 3 is installed between two trees in a row of very old beautiful trees that have been there for decades. They are not there to replace, they are there to augment.

[@spray_cheese]

It’s become a known fact that trees do not provide nearly as much oxygen as the same area as diverse grassland. A proper ecosystem compared to a human cultivated “Columns of trees down the street” does comparatively nothing, we need to stop mowing fields to plant trees. And cut trees to plant fields. They look better, trees give us resources. AND THEY WORK!

[@djazz0]

Build better cities then?

[@AlbertaGeek]

Yes, urban planners need to start making spaces more bike and pedestrian friendly with better public transportation and not designed strictly around the needs of drivers.

[@AltonV]

What should we do with existing cities? Knock them down and start over?

[@thenewkhan4781]

@@AltonV rebuild it step by step. Some heavily car-centerd cities around the world have deen doing it with succes for years already, for example Madrid, Utrecht. It is possible.

[@LineOfThy]

@@thenewkhan4781 but really, really expensive

[@DankTrainTom]

Gives me The Lorax vibes. Pretty scary reality.

[@ashdnhie337]

I agree! I immediately thought of the lorax!

[@LineOfThy]

Pretty sure it's the opposite of the Lorax

[@alameachan]

Or you yanks could, oh I don't know, design livable cities. Because I don't know if you noticed but trees serve more purpose than turn carbon dioxide into oxygen.

[@Kleineganz]

The US isn't the only country with sprawling cities though. Look at the cities in China, India, etc. They would benefit from this as well. This would even be great in places like Dubai, where it's too hot and dry to grow a lot of trees.

[@LineOfThy]

Yeah issue is we already have terribly designed cities and there isn't much we can do about those

[@jebthedestroyer6695]

Never been to China, have you? How about a walk through London? You dont have much room to talk here lil bro.

[@huh5950]

Problem is: vandalism exists, glass is way more prone to damage and "accidents"

[@OatmealTheCrazy]

Glass is actually incredibly strong. So strong that it gets used in incredibly thin arrangements in most of its uses. Imagine the difference between a piece of paper and a tree. Glass can be unreasonably strong.

[@3hxde]

This sounds like the Lorax all over again except irl

[@BrownCookieBoy]

Surely someone wont go and smash them

[@rodee1671]

This is depressing. Stop creating polluting creatures instead of cfeating new things.

[@Scorponox93]

This is just gonna go the way of solar roads

[@Waltyworld]

Photo bio reactors are amazing they can even be used to terraform planets

[@debigcheze]

privatized and monopolized synthetic trees are another step towards cyberpunk dystopia

[@Gereon_]

I hate all of this, even if it has positive aspects, it just feels like one more step towards a dystopian future...

[@LineOfThy]

Humanity would so so less sh*t if people started relying more on logic instead of feelings

[@deaconofbiology6249]

This seems... Gimmicky...

[@kinart243]

So basically, those green disgusting alien starships are legit designs 😮😮

[@Nick-cs4oc]

We just can’t stop from reinventing stuff that already do the thing perfectly. The problem is that we are addicted to cars and paving green spaces. Cities don’t need to be concrete jungles, the auto industry needs that