Ideaz

Climate change is rapidly increasing urban temperatures. Urban heat island is an effect that is created when urban areas are significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas due to cities replacing natural landscapes with heat-absorbing surfaces like concrete, asphalt, waste heat generated by vehicles and industries.

One of the most important aspects for cooling cities, filtering air, and storing carbon is the presence of trees. However, thousands of them die every year from heat stress, disease and neglect.  

Since most cities lack the resources to effectively monitor and protect their existing green cover, ReLeaf AI aims to reverse this by creating systems to monitor the green and utilising AI to prevent such significant losses.

Gaps in the current market:-

1. Urban tree health monitoring is still manual and consumes a lot of time.
2. Most initiatives aim to “plant” more trees instead of maintaining and nurturing already existing ones.
3. There aren’t AI tools widely available that predict tree stress or suggest any changes to prevent damage.
4. Most cities lack data-driven decision systems for managing the greenery and fighting heat zones.

How ReLeaf AI solves the problem:

It combines artificial intelligence, IoT(devices that detect and respond to environmental stimuli) and remote sensing to protect and help maintain urban tree life before they reach critical stress levels.

1. AI Image Analysis: Using drones and satellite imaging, the AI models process the image to detect slight changes in leaf colour, shape or any early indicators of dehydration or disease.
2. IoT Environmental Sensors: Soil moisture and temperature sensors continuously send real-time data to monitor the conditions.
3. Predictive Machine Learning Models: Based on the data, pollution levels and previous incidents, these models predict which of the trees are most at risk.
4. Smart Alerts: The system notifies the people at the levels to suggest specific interventions or changes to improve the health of the trees.

Who benefits:-

1. Communities benefit from cleaner air, reduced heat and an improved quality of life.
2. Environmental organisations can gain vital access to accurate data for policy planning, conservation or growth.
3. Local governments can prioritise maintenance and reduce costs with real-time data.
4. Universities and campuses can maintain a much more sustainable, cooler and greener environment.

The problem matters not only to me but to everyone because each summer, as we see more and more trees(once healthy) wither and die, we realise that “planting more trees” is not the only or main aspect regarding sustainability. It is about protecting what already exists.

                                                                                                  Reclaiming waste and restoring earth

Problem

Landfills release methane a greenhouse gas that is about 80 times stronger than CO₂. They also leak toxic liquids into the soil and water which can harm plants, animals, and people. Cities are producing more waste than they have space to handle. Current waste to energy systems burn trash, which releases CO₂ and does not fully reduce pollution. Because of this landfills are still major sources of climate change and pollution making it harder to achieve netzero goals.

Market Gap

Current methods to capture methane are mostly for big sites, expensive, and hard to scale. Recycling does not reduce methane from landfills and struggles with mixed waste. Carbon capture usually does not focus on landfill gases, which make up 11% of the world’s methane. Right now there is no single system that can capture methane, clean waste, and reuse resources all together.

 Solution : ReClaim units

Modular units deployed at landfill sites to:

• Capture methane via biofilters and membrane systems that actively extract methane from landfill surfaces and gas vents.
• Convert methane into renewable fuels through catalytic reformers (which reform methane into syngas) and microbial bioconversion, where specialized microbes produce upgraded biogas.
• Mineralize captured CO₂ by reacting it with alkaline industrial waste or minerals to form stable solid carbonates, creating carbon negative construction aggregates.
• Treat toxic leachates using a combination of biological (aerobic and anaerobic microbial digestion), chemical (oxidation and precipitation), and physical (membrane filtration, adsorption) technologies, monitored and controlled by integrated bio-indicator sensors (BITE tech) that detect heavy metals and toxins in real-time for adaptive management.
• Stabilize residual waste into inert construction bricks by employing waste solidification and stabilization techniques, binding contaminants into a safe matrix while producing durable, carbon negative building materials.

Scientific Mechanism

• Methane from waste in landfills is pulled out using suction and filters with microbes that consume methane.
• Membranes separate methane to concentrate it for energy use.
• Methane is converted into a fuel gas called syngas using catalysts.
• Microbes break down organic waste into biogas, which is cleaned and turned into renewable gas or hydrogen.
• CO₂ reacts with waste materials to form solid carbon that stays locked in building materials.
• Toxic liquids from landfills are cleaned by microbes, chemicals, filters, and activated carbon.
• Sensors track pollution continuously to keep treatment safe and effective.
• Heavy metals and harmful chemicals are removed to protect soil and water.
• Leftover solids are mixed with binders and hardened into bricks.
• These bricks reduce landfill size and can be used for eco-friendly construction

Who Benefits?

• pollution in cities reduced, land is reclaimed and gain the carbon credits.
• Waste companies access new revenues.
• Carbon credit buyers get verifiable impact credits.
• Communities enjoy cleaner air, water, and repurposed land.
• Construction receives carbon negative materials.

Why It Matters to Me

I want to reduce pollution and fight climate change by controlling methane from landfills, one of the fastest ways to slow global warming. I am motivated to stop toxic liquids from leaking into soil and water, keeping ecosystems and communities safe from harmful contamination. This project lets me turn a growing environmental problem into a local solution that improves air quality, cleans water, and turns waste into clean energy and useful materials. It’s about making real, visible benefits for people and the planet in their own communities.

Road Map

• Prototype modular methane capture and leachate treatment unit with sensors.
• Pilot with mid-sized city landfill demonstrating full system and monetization.
• Scale to multiple sites and improve efficiency.
• Monetize renewable energy, carbon credits, and recycled bricks.
• Expand globally in rapidly urbanizing regions.