World’s first ‘Plant based’ smart air-purifier “Ubreathe Life”

• Young scientists from the Indian Institutes of Technology, Ropar, and Kanpur, and Faculty of Management Studies of Delhi University have jointly developed a living-plant-based air purifier “Ubreathe Life”.
• The living-plant-based air purifier amplifies the air purification process in indoor spaces.
• According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report, indoor air spaces are five times more polluted than outdoor air spaces.

Features:

• The startup company, Urban Air Laboratory, which has developed the product claims it to be the world’s first, state-of-the-art ‘Smart Bio-Filter’ that can make breathing fresh.
• It works through the air-purifying natural leafy plant.
• The room air interacts with leaves and goes to the soil-root zone, and at the roots maximum pollutants are purified.
• The technology used in this system is the ‘Urban Munnar Effect’ along with “Breathing Roots” to exponentially amplify the phytoremediation process of the plants.
• Phytoremediation is a process by which plants effectively remove pollutants from the air.
• The purifier effectively improves indoor air quality by removing particulate, gaseous, and biological contaminants through UV disinfection, and a stack of Pre-filter, Charcoal filter, and HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filters.
• It also increase the oxygen levels in the indoor space through specific plants, fitted in a specially designed wooden box.
• A centrifugal fan is used to creates a suction pressure inside the purifier, and releases purified air, formed at the roots, through the outlet in a 360degree direction.
• The specific plants tested for air-purification include Peace Lily, Snake Plant, Spider plant, etc.

Advantages:

• It maintains clean air indoor.
• In the times of Covid-19, the safety at workplaces, schools, and even closed fully air-conditioned homes are not guaranteed unless air filtration, air purification, and indoor ventilation become part of the building design.
• The purifier also has certain biophilic benefits, such as supporting cognitive function, physical health, and psychological well-being.