Six smog-eating designs that purify the air

By Cat DiStasio

Air pollution is a huge problem in cities around the globe. The widespread burning of fossil fuels combined with the destruction of air-cleaning forests results in dense concentrations of smog in large urban centers. What's more, the World Health Organization estimates that air pollution contributes to 7 million premature deaths each year. To address this enormous public health problem, engineers from around the world have developed some cool (and crazy) gadgets to help clean up the air. In Italy, the world's first vertical forest have inspired designers around the world, but smaller projects are actively fighting pollution too. From a sidewalk that eats smog to an air-cleaning vacuum that turns pollution into jewelry, you'll be amazed by the ways people are working to improve air quality.

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Swiss overpass uses algae to eat auto emissions

Switzerland has a tradition of embracing clean, green technology, so it's no surprise to learn that it's the birthplace of this cool air-cleaning overpass, which turns pollution from cars into fuel for tiny photosynthetic organisms. The French- and Dutch-based Cloud Collective built the urban algae farm on a highway overpass as a display for the 2014 Genève: Villes et Champs garden festival. Huge clear pipes hold brilliant green microalgae, which feed on carbon emissions from passing cars.