In Korea, Hyundai has showcased a 3D printed, 10-meter tall bioplastic tree that performs photosynthesis. Dubbed Tree One, the sculpture was manufactured by design studio EcoLogicStudio and exhibited at the automaker’s Busan and Seoul facilities.
The sculpture employs an EcoLogicStudio-developed biopolymer made from algae biomass; chitin derived from mycelium, mushrooms or crustacean shells; agar derived from potato peel or corn; vinegar; and glycerin. Tree One’s trunk and base also contain 40 photobioreactors housing cyanidium microalgae. In total, the sculpture has 500 liters of algae culture consuming CO2 from the air and releasing oxygen.
According to the studio, it has the photosynthetic potential of 12 fully grown trees. “When you use a mechanical filter, you extract elements from the air, but you still see the pollutants somewhere,” EcoLogicStudio co-founder Claudia Pasquero tells Dezeen. “What happens with microalgae is that they really feed on them and by feeding, they grow and remetabolize, and by growing, they produce biomass.”