This is a good news story where two companies have teamed up to create a novel solution, with twice the impact.
In a very worthy attempt to spare his generation from the ghastly air pollution in cities like Delhi, Angad Daryani has invented a filterless outdoor air purifier. Two of his devices cost less than the latest iPhone, while filtering 300 cubic feet of air per minute - more than enough for a small family house.
His company Praan has raised $1.5 million in investment, billing itself as the world’s most-advanced, cheapest, artificial intelligence air purifier. Firms in his home country of India, as well as further afield, have shown keen interest.
Daryani plans to use the funding to run a pilot program in India, deploying the device in schools, hotels, and industrial projects. His prime intention is keeping the cost low, as those who suffer most from polluted air are often the poorest in society. “Many of the world’s most polluted countries are among the poorest,” Daryani explained to the BBC. “Poor people work in factories, build the streets and infrastructure, and take public transport to get to work. They live and work in the most polluted environments.”
Existing air purification infrastructure is very expensive, and many use filters to clean out particulates, meaning they need replacement filters regularly. One of the major selling points of Daryani's purifier is that the collection chamber doesn’t need to be changed for six months; but when he realized the particulates his machines had captured was a valuable raw material, he gave the leftover pollutants to another Indian company called Carbon Craft Design.
They make stylish tiles for floors and walls that clean sometimes as much as 5 kilograms of CO2 per tile. Carbon Craft uses the powered air particulate like a dye, combining it with rock waste from quarrying to create a totally upcycled flooring product.
A definite win win!