Urban air quality 'could be improved', thanks to Dutch scientists

Urban air quality could be significantly improved thanks to a new invention by Dutch scientists.

The fine dust reduction system is designed to lessen air pollution by substantially reducing fine dust concentrations, which could have a positive effect on public health, dpa reports.

Director of the botanical gardens of Delft Technical University Bob van Ursem said the electrostatic system he has developed merely follows the basic principles of electricity.

"We create an electrostatic roof above or across highways and subsequently charge the fine dust underneath," he said.

"By charging the particles, one can manipulate and control the fine dust."

Together with colleagues Jan Marijnissen and Rijn Roos, as well as Dutch builder BAM and the Dutch government's Air Quality Innovation Programme, Ursem recently placed the system in the Thomassen tunnel near Rotterdam in order to analyse the improvement in air quality inside in three months' time.

In related news, Hong Kong's government last week announced its intention to bring the city's air quality targets up to date for the first time since 1987.

Written by Claire Manning