Scientists from the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) Ropar and Kanpur, as well as the faculty of the Management Studies of Delhi University, have developed a living-plant-based air-purifier for indoor spaces.

“The purifier called ‘Ubreathe Life’ can be used at hospitals, schools, offices and homes,” an official statement from the Ministry of Science and Technology, stated on Wednesday.

IIT Ropar’s start-up company, Urban Air Laboratory, which has developed the product claims it to be the world’s first, state-of-the-art ‘Smart Bio-Filter’. It has been incubated at IIT Ropar, which is a designated iHub - AWaDH (Agriculture and Water Technology Development Hub) by the Department of Science and Technology.

Workings and features

“‘Ubreathe Life’ effectively improves indoor air quality by removing particulate, gaseous and biological contaminants while increasing the oxygen levels in the indoor space through specific plants, UV disinfection and a stack of pre-filter, charcoal filter and HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter fitted in a specially designed wooden box,” the official statement said.

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The specific plants tested for air purification include Peace Lily, Snake Plant, Spider plant, among others and all have given good results in purifying indoor-air.

“This tested product can be a game-changer for maintaining clean air indoors. The results of testing, conducted by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories, and the laboratory of IIT Ropar maintains that the AQI (Air Quality Index) for a room size of 150 sq ft drops from 311 to 39 in 15 minutes after using ‘Ubreathe Life’,” Rajeev Ahuja, Director, IIT, Ropar stated.

Sanjay Maurya, CEO, Ubreathe added that consumers are not required to water the plant regularly as there is a built-in water reservoir with a capacity of 150 ml which acts as a buffer for plant requirements.

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