One of China's most polluted cities may need 1,000 giant air purifiers capable of reducing by 15 percent PM2.5 concentrations within 10 square kilometers.

(Photo: VCG)

The 60-meter-high air purifier in Xi'an, capital of Northwest Shaanxi Province, is the first city to purify air using a solar filtering system, said Cao Junji, a researcher at the Institute of Earth Environment at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), newspaper Chinese Business View reported on Wednesday.

The building costs 12 million yuan ($1.91 million) and consumes 200,000 yuan annually, it reported.

When asked if the price is worthwhile, Cao said that most pollution treatments are costly but also necessary because improving air quality can reduce disease and deaths.

A thousand such buildings are needed to improve the city's air quality in an area of more than 10,000 square kilometers, Cao said.

However, Cao cautioned it's just an experiment, and final test results and opinions from various parties will decide whether to spread the use of the building. 

CAS said that Cao already submitted a proposal for another 300-meter tower in Xi'an. He is also negotiating with Beijing and Hebei and Henan provinces.