Atterbury Europe and its partners are always mindful of environmental best practices. In Belgrade at Ušće Shopping Center, an exciting new project involves smart street-air purifiers that reduce pollution around the mall. Atterbury Europe’s Vlad Valcea and MPC Properties’ digital manager Bojana Savic tell us more.

How did Ušće Shopping Center become involved in this project, and what was the objective?

We had already worked with the Mihajlo Pupin Institute on the Ušće solar panels project, which made their team familiar with our ESG strategy. Following that project we were invited to take part in the UNDP accelerator for subsidies for innovative green solutions. We aim to spread awareness of the importance of sustainability, specifically by empowering the local community, promoting a green agenda, implementing innovative solutions that have a positive impact on the environment and maximising the use of energy from alternative sources in the surroundings. This project is another example of our overall commitment and holistic approach when it comes to ESG activities. It corresponds to already implemented projects at Ušće, such as solar panels, charging stations for electric vehicles, beehives and composting machines.

Air cleaner model

What exactly does the project entail?

The project involves an alternative idea that does not completely solve the significant problem of air pollution in cities but can measurably reduce it at the busiest locations. It is an energy-neutral (zero-energy) system that is self-sustainable as it generates enough energy for its operation, and it’s installed in three locations within the Ušće complex: at the main entrance of the shopping centre, in its garage, and in the open space between Ušće SC and Ušće Tower I.

It draws external polluted air into a chamber where the air is “washed” through a water filter and then purified, freed from toxic particles and dust, before being released back into the atmosphere. Soot, dust and other residue in the water reservoir are discharged into the sewer system. The system is fully automated, activated when digital air sensors detect excessive pollution in the vicinity and shuts off when pollution levels fall below a tolerable threshold. The energy for the system is obtained by converting latent kinetic energy from traffic into electricity using two innovative devices – electric ground-power harvesters and road radial air turbines (more below). With this project, we aim to send a message that through our initiative and positive attitude towards our environment, we can make our surroundings more beautiful and comfortable for everyone.

Roller energy harvester

Give us a brief rundown of the different elements and how they work together?

Electric ground-power harvesters (acronym ePoP) converts the kinetic energy of moving vehicles into electrical voltage by way of friction of the road surface on their rubber tyres. These harvesters can be placed in areas where vehicles move slowly or have to stop and where there is high daily traffic frequency. Examples include public city garages and areas with speed bumps in front of schools and public institutions. The vehicle passes over a series of rollers which it rotates with its wheels, and which link to an electro-generator that produces electrical voltage. It is most effective when the daily traffic volume is several thousand vehicles, so the cumulative effect of energy collection is utilised.

The second part of the system is the road-radial air turbine, which converts the energy of airflow in urban areas into electrical energy. It’s best placed in areas where there is ongoing air circulation due to air shocks caused by vehicle impact waves (beside streets or highways), at tunnel entrances/exits, on-ramps to bridges, or simply in locations where there is natural airflow or a breeze due to elevated building infrastructure. The air turbine has batteries to store excess electrical energy that it produces, and it accumulates energy continuously during 24 hours of operation. Like the ePop, it uses the kinetic energy of traffic to produce electricity. Ušće was chosen out of all the other potential spots in Belgrade because of the mall’s central location in the city and the fact that so many people circulate in the area on a daily basis.