IIT Bombay & IIT Kanpur Technology deactivates COVID-19 virus validated by CSIR IMTECH

It now has become clear that we need to live with COVID-19. It is also a fact that India has one of the worst air quality in the world with a recent study from the University of Chicago showing Indians are losing 5 to 10 years of their lives because of air pollution. (source)

A study by Harvard University has shown that the combination of air pollution and COVID-19 is more severe and dangerous (source). As winter is approaching, we are sure to see extreme levels of air pollution. We all need to gear up for the battle against unseen evils in the air around us i.e. germs like COVID-19 and air pollutants.

A technology from IIT Bombay and IIT Kanpur has proven to be effective against both air pollution and human coronavirus i.e. COVID-19. The innovation “Anti-Microbial Air Purification Technology” tested at CSIR-IMTECH was able to deactivate SARS-CoV-2 with an efficiency of 99.9% within 1 minute.

The research on Anti-Microbial Air Purification Technology was started by CEO AiRTH, Ravi Kaushik while he was pursuing his Masters in Environmental Engineering from IIT Bombay. Years of research led by Ravi Kaushik to identify a dangerous gap in the current air purification technologies which motivated him to build AiRTH. The technology was perfected at IIT Kanpur with support from SIIC (Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre) under the guidance of respected Professor Amitabha Bandyopadhyay. The Department of Science and Technology has played a crucial role in the development of the technology by AiRTH. The technology has enormous testing validations from the most prestigious laboratories of India like CSIR-NPL, CSIR-CDRI, and others.

Existing air purifiers in the market work on a capture mechanism and with continuous usage they become a breeding ground for germs as these germs grow on the filters. The technology developed at IIT Bombay and IIT Kanpur works on the D-C-D mechanism i.e. Deactivate-Capture-Deactivate mechanism:

· Deactivate Inflight deactivation of germs by UVC irradiations and bombardment with OH radicals such that it is optimized for higher residence time and intensity

· Capture: Germs are captured using coated filters

· Deactivate: Germs are destroyed by the OH radicals formed in the process of ionization and continuous UVC irradiation inside the anti-microbial air purifier

The Anti-Microbial Air Purifiers are already adopted by hospitals, corporates and esteemed government institutions. AiRTH’s technology is protecting cancer patients having zero immunity with the dangers of even a common cold proving fatal for them. They have helped corporates to ensure business continuity removing the fear of airborne disease transmission in their office and increasing the productivity as well as the well-being of the employees by providing them with clean and germ-free air. The recent testing on the dangerous SARS-CoV-2 of the technology developed in the labs of IIT Bombay and IIT Kanpur will definitely put India at the forefront of biotech innovations. The Anti-Microbial Air Purifiers by AiRTH is ‘Thought in India’ and ‘Made in India’.