New Delhi (Web Desk): As air quality borders ‘severe’ levels in the capital, alumni, professors and students of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, in collaboration with Nanoclean Global Private Ltd, have designed a nano-respiratory filter that costs Rs 10. The product, called Nasofilter, is meant to protect users from air pollutants, including PM 2.5 particles, and reduce risk of respiratory diseases. The filters will be available for purchase from Tuesday.
The product will initially be available online before it hits retail shops. It received the ‘Startup National Award’ 2017 by former President Pranab Mukherjee, and also made it to the South Korean government’s list of ‘Top 50 technical startups in the world’.
“These filters stick to the user’s nasal orifice and restrict foreign particulate matter from entering the body. It is a use-and-throw biodegradable product, which is highly efficient in restricting particulate matter, and at the same time gives very little pressure drop, which makes it unique… The cost of the product is low, hence it can be used by
the masses,” said Prateek Sharma, chief executive officer of Nanoclean Global Private Ltd, the company which was incubated at IIT-Delhi to produce the filters.
Besides Sharma, the team comprises faculty members Manjeet Jassal and Ashwini K Agrawal, alumni Sanjeev Jain and Tushar Vyas, and a student, Jatin Kewlani.
“From tomorrow, the filters will be available on our website nasofilters.com. After a few days, we will make them available on all recognised e-commerce websites, and finally in retail shops. We hope to start physical sale in January. It would come in box of 10 nasofilters initially. Subsequently, we will also introduce a box of 30,” Sharma said.
He said the filters would keep away PM 10 particles by 100 per cent, and PM 2.5 particles by 95 per cent. The filters can last up to 8-10 hours.
The company intends to officially launch the product in mid-January, but is relying on word-of-mouth to sell Nasofilters till then. “Those who are interested and are in urgent need are already visiting our office, which is situated on the campus, and we are making products available to them,” Sharma said.
The story was originally published by ‘The Indian Express’