IISc researchers develop pathogen resistant air filter

New Delhi: A research team at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, has developed an air filter which can prevent air-borne pathogens.

The newly developed air filter can deactivate germs, by 'self cleaning' them out of the system and is made by ingredients like polyphenols and polycationic polymers commonly found in green tea. These 'green' ingredients rupture the microbes through site-specific binding.

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.

Re-suspension of these germs can infect people in the vicinity. The novel anti-microbial air filters were tested at the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories and were found to deactivate SARS-CoV-2 (delta variant) with an efficiency of 99.24 per cent.

A research team led by Suryasarathi Bose and Kaushik Chatterjee at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) developed this device and the technology was transferred to AiRTH, a startup that is replacing the existing germ-growing air filters with germ-destroying air filters for commercialisation, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology.

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 placed in 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 like coronaviruses.

-IANS Inputs