Low-cost 'wing' could clean up polluted skies

A low-cost aerodynamic foil could reduce the number of deaths caused by air pollution.

An estimated three million people a year are killed as a result of air pollution worldwide, with 10,000 deaths a year in London alone. The problem costs the NHS £20bn a year, while the EU nations spend $1.453 trillion on air pollution issues. 

At the third Grand Global Challenges Summit in Washington DC, a group of students from the University of Manchester showcased their solution - an aerodynamic foil which would separate dirty and clean air.

“It’s basically a plane wing turned on its side,” said Matthew Holt, a second year chemical engineering student who has been involved in the extra-curricular project. Because dirty, polluted air is denser than clean air, it would flow over the aerofoil at a different rate and could therefore be separated from the clean air.

The idea would be to then direct that dirty air to the centre of the street, away from pedestrians. A series of these wings would be placed along a road, which would also be fitted with moisture traps to catch the polluted air and drain it away. 

These moisture traps would be solid structures with a film of water or another liquid being pumped over them, while the aerofoils would have motors and actuators to turn them in the appropriate direction when the wind changes. 

The group estimate that each aerofoil could be constructed for a cost of around £35, adding up to a total material cost of £7500 per mile. Holt told Professional Engineering that the materials used in construction could be varied depending on the resources available. “In the UK we could use aluminium,” he said, “but in developing countries wood would work too.” 

It’s still a project in the early stages of development. The team need access to a wind tunnel and a supercomputer to run simulations and optimise their product. Holt admits that funding might be difficult to come by because “you can’t monetise clean air,” but said the benefits were clear for public organisations and cities. 

He also argued that on busy shopping streets such as Oxford Street in London, businesses could sponsor the aerofoils, which could also be attached to the sides of buildings. 

The students were presented their work as part of the GGCS Summit Student Poster competition, which challenges groups from the UK, China and the USA to showcase work that could help tackle some of the 14 ‘grand challenges’ for engineering. 

Professional Engineering is in Washington DC this week covering the Grand Global Challenges Summit. Keep an eye on our Twitter account and our website for the latest news.