The installation by TOLO Green is embedded in Italy Pavilion’s architectural and technological concept and converts it into a “breathing” structure that aims to represent some of the main thematic values of Expo 2020 Dubai.

Five large water ponds for the cultivation of algae will encircle the perimeter of the Belvedere inside the Pavilion to treat part of the stale air from inside the exposition space. Following the purification process, the air will be reinjected into the environment.

The biological cultivation technology developed by TOLO Green – a technical partner of the Italian Commissioner’s Office – shall be applied to three different microalgae: Spirulina, Dunaliella and Haematococcus.

Photosynthetic plant organisms feed on carbon dioxide and convert it into oxygen, thus reducing the environmental impact of the major contributor to the greenhouse effect. Photosynthetic light bulbs, specifically developed to promote the growth of microalgae, will also enable their proliferation in a confined space with scarce lighting.

A technical laboratory equipped with all the required analytical instrumentation shall be located adjacent to the visitors’ boardwalk to the Pavilion, enabling them to observe the microalgae growth process.

Interaction with visitors will be assured through communications in English and Arabic to help visitors understand the risks connected to the increase of CO2 in closed spaces.