IISc researchers develop antimicrobial air filters that can mitigate air-borne infections; check details
By Team Newsable | First Published Dec 20, 2022, 10:34 AM ISTResuspension of these germs can infect people in the vicinity. The antimicrobial air filters were tested at the NABL Accredited Laboratory and were found to deactivate SARS-CoV-2 (delta variant) with an efficiency of 99.24%.
A research team from Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru (IISc) has newly developed an air filter that can deactivate the germs by 'self-cleaning' them out of the system using ingredients that are commonly found in green tea.
According to a report by the University of Chicago, impure air likely makes people's life shorter. This development comes in a bid to extend people's life by not losing 5-10 years of their lives due to air-borne contaminants that lead to respiratory diseases that adversely affects physical health as well as mental health.
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A research team led by Prof Suryasarathi Bose and Prof Kaushik Chatterjee at Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru (IISc), Bangalore, developed germ-destroying air filters that can inactivate germs using ingredients like polyphenols and polycationic polymers commonly found in green tea. These "green" ingredients rupture the microbes through site-specific binding.
The research was supported by special grants from Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) during the challenging Covid-19 pandemic and SERB-Technology Translation Awards (SERB-TETRA) funds and a patent has been filed on this.
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Over continuous usage, the existing air filters become a breeding ground for captured germs. The growth of these germs clog the pores of the filter, reducing the life of the filters.
Resuspension of these germs can infect people in the vicinity. The antimicrobial air filters were tested at the NABL Accredited Laboratory and were found to deactivate SARS-CoV-2 (delta variant) with an efficiency of 99.24%.
This technology was transferred to AIRTH, a startup that is replacing the existing germ-growing air filters with germ-destroying air filters for commercialisation.
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As this innovation holds promise to develop antimicrobial filters that can prevent endemics caused by air-borne pathogens, a patent was granted in 2022. These novel antimicrobial filters in our ACs, central ducts and air purifiers can play a crucial role in our fight against air pollution and mitigate the spread of air-borne pathogens such as novel coronaviruses.
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