Alwe - clean air by living algae
Naturally clean room climate
Discover Alwe - an elegant solution for clean air and a healthier home. Through the power of microalgae, Alwe transforms your walls into a natural air filter that effectively absorbs and neutralises pollutants. The cleaning performance is in detail:
Volatile chemicals: approx. 52 % (Fraunhofer study)
Particulate matter: 66 % (study by TU Berlin)
Nitrogen oxides: 56 % (study by TU Berlin)
Design meets function
Alwe combines stylish design with the extraordinary cleaning power of living algae. This innovative wall decoration is easy to clean and offers a sustainable alternative to conventional air purifiers.
Pioneers
Solaga is leading the future of air purification with Alwe. We are the first company in the world to use living microalgae biofilms to improve air quality - a green technology for healthier living.
Alwe is a living image
Your algae picture is simply attached to the wall. The disc on which the algae are located rotates through a water tank and wets the algae with water.
Substances are exchanged via the surface
The algae in the Alwe photosynthesise. The evaporation of water creates natural circulation, which improves the indoor climate.
The algae bind and decompose the air pollutants
On the surface between the air and the algae, CO₂ is converted into oxygen and air pollutants are bound. The result - naturally better air.
Benjamin Herzog
- 0157 83519301
Biological air purifier
The ‘Alwe’ algae wall decor is a biological air purifier made from microalgae. It not only filters air pollutants, but also has an attractive appearance.
Alwe can be mounted on any wall, whether in a cosy living room or at the workplace. Embellish your premises and improve the air in places where you spend most of your time.
How does it work?
The filtering works through natural air circulation,which is caused by evaporation.
The algae only need to be watered using the filling bottle with distilled water and algae nutrient solution included in the scope of delivery. Treat your algae like a houseplant.
Healthy and fresh air
In contrast to plants and mosses, algae are characterised by their much more efficient filter performance. Algae do not need soil to survive, but are able to obtain their nutrients from the air and the water surrounding them. Substances such as particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, CO₂ and other chemicals, which are harmful to human health, serve as a nutrient medium for the algae.
The filter performance of an image is sufficient to bring a room of approx. 15-20 m² below the harmful limit values.
Natural life cycle
Like all living organisms in this world, algae are also subject to a natural life cycle. In this the colour changes of the algae from an initially dark green to an increasingly lighter shade of green. This process is individual for each picture and depends on external influences such as sunlight, temperature and the amount of water added.
Over time, this natural process leads to a reduction in the efficiency of pollutant absorption. For optimum filter performance, we therefore recommend removing the algae biofilm in 6 to 8-month cycles to be repainted. More detailed information on repainting can be found in the operating instructions.
Algae in the picture - Biological air purifier
Everyone is familiar with the situation when, after some time of concentrated activity, it suddenly becomes apparent that the air quality of a room has decreased significantly.
Dabei ist es offensichtlich, dass sich diese nicht schlagartig, sondern kontinuierlich änderte. Um diesem Effekt vorzubeugen haben wir Alwe entwickelt. Wir machen uns die Stoffwechselaktivität der Algea which are stimulated more intensively with a greater load. fresh air to create. Alwe begins to breathe as soon as they do.
Sauerstoffkonzentrationen unter 20 % führen nicht nur zu Konzentrationsschwäche, Kopfschmerzen und Unbehagen, sie sind auch gefährlich für den Körper und seine Organe. Es kommt zu erhöhten Immunreaktionen und abnehmender Leistungsfähigkeit. Dass der Körper sich dann nicht mehr richtig erholen kann, führt zu einer Abwärtsspirale der Erschöpfung. Des Weiteren befinden sich etliche Pathogene und Schadstoffe in der Luft, die individuelle Bedrohungen mit sich bringen. Unser Zuhause ist also täglichen Belastungen ausgesetzt, die nicht immer mit dem bloßen Auge erkennbar sind. Dazu gehören u.a. Gefahren durch Feinstaub, volatilen Gasen, Bakterien.
Alwe bietet eine effektive Antwort auf diese Herausforderungen, indem es die Luft reinigt und gleichzeitig Räume angenehmer gestaltet.
FAQ Alwe
Microalgae are unicellular microorganisms that belong to the class of phototrophic organisms, i.e. they carry out photosynthesis. This means that microalgae, just like plants, use light to bind carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
Alwe - The algae image uses specially selected microalgae, which are found in nature especially under stones. As a result, these organisms are adapted to be active even under very difficult light conditions - such as those we find in our interiors - and to carry out effective photosynthesis, among other things. For this purpose they have developed extraordinary photosystems, which are clearly different from those of plants.
Microalgae have a more flexible metabolism than plants, for example, and can therefore break down a large number of pollutants.
Die aktuellen Maße von Alwe betragen 50 cm x 5cm. Das Gewicht beträgt 1,2 kg im leeren und etwa 1,5 kg im gefüllten Zustand.
In biologically correct terms, the algae are blue-green algae, i.e. cyanobacteria. These are adapted to low light and have special pigments that enable photosynthesis even at the lowest light levels. This makes microalgae biofilms more efficient than plants and also air improvers in places where plants die mercilessly.
In investigations with the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing and the Technical University of Berlin, we have also discovered that microalgae biofilms can effectively bind air pollutants that are hazardous to health, such as nitrogen oxides and fine dust.
Initial tests at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing also point to the reduction of volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) escaping from paints and building materials. Microalgae have a more flexible metabolism than plants, for example, and can therefore break down a large number of these pollutants.
Microalgae need light for their metabolism. Our algae picture is therefore best suited for rooms that are at least partially exposed to the sun.
However, please avoid attaching Alwe to surfaces that are often exposed to direct sunlight. If there is too much sunlight, more water will evaporate and the microalgae may start to break down their photo systems. The result is the fading of the biofilm. Should this happen, do not panic: Just leave Alwe in a shady place for some time and the biofilm will regenerate.
When designing Alwe, it was particularly important to us to keep the handling simple and manageable. That's why there is a small water tank in each Alwe, which needs to be refilled approximately every two weeks.
Yes, Alwe consists of living algae which adapt to the local light conditions. In shady areas the algae take on a deep green colour, as the micro-algae accumulate more pigments to absorb light more effectively. In semi-shade areas, the micro-algae need less pigments for successful photosynthesis and thus get a rather juicy and natural green colour.
In direct sunlight there is an overflow of energy in the algae. Under certain circumstances, this may cause the algae to actively break down their photo systems. The result is a colour change to light green or yellowish.
Algae films have not yet been researched in the long term, as these materials are completely new. However, we have not been able to identify any time limits in our previous R&D projects. Some of our algae films are already 4 years old and still healthy and productive, which is even more important. As algae films are living materials, no general statement can be made about their lifetime, as this obviously depends on care and local conditions. As far as we know, however, our biofilms are very robust, making them suitable even for users with brown rather than green thumbs.
With the purchase an Alwe we guarantee a minimum service life of 6 months. If problems occur within this period, you can return your Alwe without any problems and have it replaced by us.
Even after this period of 6 months you can of course always have your Alwe checked by us or you can try out one of our new biofilms. Please feel free to contact our service team.
In interiors, lighting in particular differs from natural light. Even with perceived bright interior lighting, the photosynthetically activating radiation is very low. This is because normal indoor lighting lacks the red and violet components of natural light that most plants need for photosynthesis. The microalgae biofilms we use, on the contrary, have special pigments that enable them to use light outside the red and violet spectrum for photosynthesis.
In addition, microalgae do not have roots or a stem and are therefore metabolically more effective compared to plants.
Our carefully cultivated microalgae belong to the so-called safety level 1, which describes organisms that are unlikely to have a negative effect on health. This means that they are not dangerous to animals, humans, plants or water and can be used without restrictions. Organisms from the food industry such as cultures of yoghurt or baker's yeast also belong to this safety class.
Our biofilms are produced under sterile conditions. Only when the biofilms have formed their characteristic protective skin layer are they released by us for usage in the algae image "Alwe".
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