With Spirulina, the Italy Pavilion converts carbon dioxide into oxygen

Thanks to an innovative technology developed by TOLO Green, the carbon dioxide emitted by visitors will be converted into oxygen into the Italy Pavilion

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Spirulina algae continues to amaze us with its countless beneficial properties for health and the environment. Now, a team of scientists has decided to exploit it in another way as well: cleaning the air of carbon dioxide. Thus, it will disembark in Dubai inside the Italy Pavilion of the Expo where it will have the task, in the form of an installation, of converting the carbon dioxide emitted by visitors into oxygen and reintroducing it inside the structure.

The installation by TOLO Green – technical partner of the Commissariat – is inserted into the architectural and technological concept of the Italian Pavilion with the aim of representing some of the main thematic values ​​of Expo 2020 Dubai, starting on 1 October 2021, instead of October 2020 as initially planned:

  • Innovation with 100% Italian technology
  • Accessibility to make the visitor experience open to participation and direct interaction
  • Sustainability in the consumption of water and energy for the production of proteins from the plant world
  • Safety, making the Italian Pavilion the only structure that “breathes”.

Five large seaweed cultivation tanks will embrace the circular perimeter of the Belvedere inside the Pavilion, for the treatment of part of the stale air of the internal exhibition structure. After the purification treatment, the air rich in carbon dioxide will naturally be reintroduced into the environment.

The organic cultivation technology developed by TOLO Green will be applied in three different microalgae: Spirulina, Dunaliella and Haematococcus. The photosynthetic plant organisms feed on carbon dioxide, for them an important carbonaceous substrate, transforming it into oxygen and thus reducing the environmental impact of the main responsible for the greenhouse effect. Photosynthesizing lamps, specifically designed for microalgae growth, will allow their proliferation even in a confined environment with scarcity of irradiation. A technical laboratory equipped with all the necessary analytical equipment will be placed on the same floor as the Pavilion, adjacent to the walkway traveled by visitors who, for the entire duration of the exhibition semester, will be able to observe the growth process of the microalgae up to the packaging of the finished product.

Interaction with visitors will be ensured by a communication in English and Arabic, which will help visitors understand the risks associated with the increase in CO2 indoors. TOLO Green technicians will also illustrate the plant and processing, stimulating interest, especially among young people. For the entire duration of Expo 2020 Dubai, therefore, visitors to the Italian Pavilion will be able to be informed in real time on the values ​​of the flow of injected and purified air.

“The installation by Tolo Green will show the world the best Italian scientific and technological skills that connect nature and humans in virtuous connection. It is when sustainability and innovation bring well-being and safety. A central theme of our participation in Expo 2020 Dubai ”said the Commissioner of the Italian Pavilion, Paolo Glisenti.

“Being a partner of the Italian Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai represents an extraordinary opportunity for us to promote our country’s best skills in the field of technological development at the service of environmental sustainability and the production of clean energy. Our gaze is turned to the environment and to future generations, with a unique technological process that aims to stimulate the attention and reflection of international visitors who will flock to the Expo “, added Gilberto Gabrielli, President of TOLO Green.

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