Turning smog into jewels - a Dutch designer's solution to Beijing's pollution

[DeSwiss]

Janice D. Bohler · Published on Apr 21, 2014

Turning smog into jewels - a Dutch designer's solution to Beijing's pollution (2:15)

Apr. 18 - A Dutch designer plans to suck smog from Beijing's polluted air with his 'electronic vacuum cleaner' next year and produce sparkling jewellery from the smog particles he collects. It may be an unconventional approach to Beijing's pollution problem but the city's leaders have told Daan Roosegarde he's welcome to try it. Debi Bell-Hosking reports.

http://www.reuters.com/video/2014/04/18/reuters-tv-turning-smog-into-jewels-a-dutch-designe?videoId=311841139&videoChannel=118065

- Putting an electromagnetic field underground with people living above it sounds innocent enough. And I'm sure that the voices and radio transmissions that'll be sounding-off in everyone's head shortly thereafter, will have had nothing to do with it.

[SkyDaddy7]

1. THIS IS TERRIBLE NEWS!!!

This will do nothing in terms of helping solve the pollution problem in China or anywhere else...It will actually make this worse by creating a profit stream based on dirty air!! NOT GOOD!!

[Perseus]

4. You are either being sarcastic or just won the pesismist award of 2014 :)

I have a feeling it is the 1st, right?

[Pasly]

2. wonderful

I think that is a wonderful Idea. I thought of this years ago .But I didn't know what to do with the smog particles .Diamonds wow..it would be nice to put one of those vacuum on the thing that causes the smog . cars ,trucks etc.

[DeSwiss]

8. Well, it might be wonderful......

...assuming that the electromagnetic waves it gives off doesn't harm physical health. We already know what microwaves can do to physical health -- and cellphone microwave outputs are tiny by comparison to this huge thing. The key to cleaning up air pollution is to stop it at its source.

And if such technology is seen as necessary at all, it doesn't seem wise to expose the general population to it without the certain knowledge of what if could do to human health. It would make little sense to save people from air pollution only to kill them with electromagnetic wave pollution instead. People are always being used as guinea pigs and no one says a damned thing. Not until cancer starts popping up all over the place. Then everyone's ''concerned.'' Not that I think this'll stop the Chinese government -- at all.

I could only see such technology as a stop gap measure in an interim period. And if used, it would seem to me that the things should be installed closer to the source of the pollution. You know, to clean it up before it escapes to the cities?

- And welcome to DU!

[SkyDaddy7]

12. I think this is not as "wonderful" as it sounds...

...This does not solve any problems it is only a way to profit off dirty air. Not to mention the potential safety issues with such a thing in crowded cities.

[zebonaut]

3. The Power of Science

or you could pray and close your eyes tight

[BlancheSplanchnik]

6. ++++++++!!!

This is an exciting idea!!!! If it works, that would be great! Every little bit helps.

[yuiyoshida]

10. yes.. but don't forget to

hold your nose.

[arcane1]

5. We're already bathed in radio transmissions, so we have that going for us :)

[cvoogt]

7. neat idea

and I hope they implement it and that it works. It is a band-aid though, and in a way enables more pollution.

[DhhD]

9. Can this progress separate out ozone and send it into the upper atmosphere perhaps riding a laser

beam? Is everything in the vacuumed smoke recycled? O2 downward. O3 upward.

[paulkienitz]

11. easy in small scale... cleaning up a city, not so easy

Also, it'll probably draw plenty of juice. May just end up exporting the smog rather than reducing it, depending on where they get the power for it.

[SkyDaddy7]

13. Not a good idea at all...

All this idea will do is create a profit stream off dirty air. Nothing more.