Problem:
Carbon Dioxide, or CO2, is a greenhouse gas that causes warming of the Earth’s surface and acidification of the oceans. Although living organisms require CO2 for respiration and photosynthesis, there is much more CO2 present the atmosphere than there was before human industrialization. Before humans began building cities and vehicles and burning coal for energy there was less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere because these processes produce CO2 and this is a problem for the environment.
Biomimicry Idea:
Mimic an Oregon White Oak tree that takes in CO2 and produces oxygen to improve the atmosphere and help the environment recover from man-made CO2 pollution. We can use artificial trees to combat climate change and make the air cleaner for people to breathe. While some prototypes of synthetic CO2 sucking plants have already been made, it is clear that it will require a lot of time and work to bring CO2 levels back to normal. The giant white oak is a good place to start since it is so large and leafy and therefore captures a lot of CO2 from the atmosphere. The best solution of course is reducing our use of fossil fuels and reducing the C02 that is released in our atmosphere.
How Does Nature Help an Oak Tree Produce It’s Own Food While Reducing Pollution and Cleaning the Air?
In areas where there are more plants, there is less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In seasons when plants are more active, such as spring and summer, there is less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This is because plants use a process called photosynthesis to make nutrients such as sugars and carbohydrates for themselves using sunlight and carbon dioxide. Oxygen is produced as a by-product of photosynthesis. To learn more about photosynthesis, watch the following video. Planting trees and vegetation of areas of high carbon dioxide levels will help. So too will sustainable living practices.
Additional Information:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/prospects-for-direct-air-capture-of-carbon-dioxide/
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20121004-fake-trees-to-clean-the-skies
http://phys.org/news/2009-07-synthetic-tree-captures-carbon-faster.html
http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-08-30/artificial-tree-part-solution-climate-change-these-guys-think-so
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/big-idea/13/carbon-capture
http://e360.yale.edu/feature/pulling_co2_from_the_air_promising_idea_big_price_tag/2197/