Black carbon filters: How Swiss tunnel technology is controlling pollution a continent away
1 min read
Photo caption: Santiago’s Costanera Center, the tallest building in Latin America, surrounded by pollution last year.
Throughout Latin America, pollution from transport and machinery has been adding to greenhouse gas emissions while causing growing health issues.
A Swiss programme based on technology developed for trans-Alpine tunnels has helped Chile become a leader in addressing vehicle smog. […]
Chilean authorities began to take an interest in the Swiss filter technology in the mid-1990s.
An initial project was hatched by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in discussions with the Chilean government to introduce clean technologies in the Transantiago public bus network based on Swiss know-how. With smoke billowing from their tailpipes, the capital’s public transport buses were among the most visible emitters of black carbon. […]
