Clear Channel's New Digital Mupi in Port of Barcelona Absorbs Air Pollution

Clear Channel has installed in the Port of Barcelona the first prototype integrated into urban advertising furniture that reduces pollution and generates clean air spaces on public roads. The creation of this digital mupi with active air purification has been carried out jointly by the multinational from the advertising sector and the Barcelona company Urban Air Purifier.

The device, which is capable of purifying 99% of the particles and 80% of the gases harmful to health, has been designed and manufactured to eliminate toxic gases such as carbon monoxide (CO), NOx, volatile organic compounds and also PM10 and PM2.5 particles, which cause diseases such as lung cancer or stroke. Specifically, the mupi is capable of purifying the air polluted by 3,000 cars in circulation within its area of influence (about 40 meters). The purification capacity of this canopy is comparable to that purified by 20 trees or filtered by 1,320 masks, according to data from Urban Air Purifier.

This initiative to use hybrid systems of urban advertising furniture with an air purification system is a pioneer all over the world. The project has had the collaboration of the Port of Barcelona, where Clear Channel manages outdoor advertising. The new facility allows the creation of small islands of cleaner air at the local level and is one of the initiatives of the Catalan Port that are integrated into its strategy of innovation and creation of solutions to improve its environment, including air quality.

The Port of Barcelona recalls, however, that its strategy to minimize emissions from port activity goes through the energy transition, promoting the use of clean energy, and the electrification of docks, both projects already underway. With these projects, by 2030 the emissions caused by port activity will have been reduced by 50% in the case of greenhouse gases and by 51% NOx, also achieving a significant reduction in PM10 and PM2.5 particles. Urban Air Purifier has developed this equipment in collaboration with several universities and technology centers, such as the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, the University of Barcelona, the Higher Center for Scientific Research and Eurecat.

For Jordi Sáez, market leader of Clear Channel in southern Europe, “this is a very relevant innovation since air pollution is the cause of more than nine million deaths each year in the world and the loss of quality of lives of many more millions of people. Each piece of equipment, like the one installed in the Port of Barcelona, has a distance of about 40 meters so that it can create clean air corridors in different areas of the cities where there are pollution and air quality problems ”. He also adds that “thanks to Upa's joint work with Clear Channel and the collaboration of the Port of Barcelona, we have been able to develop and test with results a device that clearly helps brands to communicate, 

On the other hand, the president of the Port of Barcelona, Mercè Conesa, has reaffirmed her commitment to public-private collaboration, innovation and sustainability, strategic axes of the entity's 4th Strategic Plan 2021-2025, which was recently presented. "We are building the port of the future, facing the scenarios of the post-pandemic future with economic, social and business agents that help us to guarantee its competitive position in the most desired scenarios", explained Mercè Conesa.

With this initiative, Clear Channel highlights its commitment to sustainability and the contribution of advertising urban furniture to improve life in cities.