Air Purifier to cut pollution at junctions

A solar-powered air purifier installed at a junction outside the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) brought down pollution levels in the vicinity by 40% to 60%.

A solar-powered air purifier installed at a junction outside the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay ( IIT- B) brought down pollution levels in the vicinity by 40% to 60%.

The prototype, designed by IIT-B and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), can clean the air in a 20 to 30 metre radius by reducing the levels of harmful particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO) and volatile organic compounds (VOC).

During the 10-day testing of the Wind Augmentation purifying Unit (WAYU), PM2.5 levels dropped to between 20 and 40 micrograms per cubic metre (ug/m3). Before the device was installed, PM 2.5 levels were more than 100 ug/m3. Similarly, PM10 levels plummeted to between 40 and 50ug/m3, compared to more than 160ug/m3 earlier.