Air pollution is a huge problem in big cities, but a device attached to billboards can fix that

For most people in Delhi, this year’s Diwali was unspirited, thanks to a Supreme Court order banning the use of firecrackers in the city. India’s top court’s order came in the wake of the alarming air pollution levels in the capital city.

During festive seasons, Delhi literally chokes due to the use of environmentally-hazardous materials such as firecrackers and burning of plastics, etc. Growing vehicle population adds to the woes. The latest news is that Delhi and the National Capital Region are seeing a sharp dip in air quality levels, forcing Indian Medical Association  — the largest body of medical practitioners in the country — to declare it a public health emergency state. The association has urged schools to stop all outdoor activities to keep children out of hazardous air pollution levels.

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Things are no better in other cities either. Bangalore and Mumbai find it hard to breathe during festivals. Indian cities are ticking time bombs and experts forecast they will become inhabitable in a few years’ time. Although extensive study is being conducted by various top research bodies across India to find ways to contain the alarming  air pollution levels, scientists have not been able to attain any major breakthrough yet.

This innovation by a group of three engineering students can bring in a glimmer of hope. Manipal University students — Dhruv Suri, Rahil Nayak (both doing Aeronautical Engineering) and Priyanshi Somani (Computer Science Engineering) — have developed a billboard that can purify air. This is not just another air purifier, but it has something more to it.

“We have seen the large advertising billboards almost everywhere around us. We fit an air purifier that is called a carbon dioxide scrubber inside a billboard. It looks like a normal billboard with an advertisement in the front, but inside is the purification system,” Suri recently told Bangalore Mirror. “On one side of the board, air is drawn in through a large fan and we use sodium hydroxide, a chemical that has the ability to absorb carbon dioxide, and clean air is then let out the other side.”

But the dexterity of this billboard does not end with just air purification. What is more noteworthy is that the carbon dioxide absorbed is pressurised and made into pellets. These pellets then find their way into greenhouses, which use carbon dioxide. “There is a lot of mechanical engineering and thermodynamics involved in the reaction as we have to make sure that sodium hydroxide does not get out into the air,” Suri explained.

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A normal billboard, which is sized 15×21 feet, can cost up to INR 10 lakh (US$15,380). The green board is fitted with solar panels. Another key advantage is that this technology can be incorporated into any normal billboard.

The idea of the air-purifying billboard was inspired when Suri read an article about Japan where bus stops double up as air purifiers: “Being an aeronautical engineering student, I have been working a lot on wind and renewable energy. I came across an article from Japan where bus stops double up as air purifiers. I am from Delhi and there is no doubt that the metros are getting extremely polluted. The pollution might not be visible but there is so much of carbon dioxide in the air. After a brain-storming session, we designed the final prototype,” added Dhruv. 

And his 14 months of hard work paid off. His idea has won accolades from across the country, and the team is now one of the winners of Manipal Innovation Challenge. The team will soon receive funds to develop a fully functional scaled prototype.

Air pollution is not restricted just to Indian cities. Some of the world cities including Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing are also grappling with massive smog and haze issues. During such unexpected events, normal life in these cities goes out of gear, often leading to death due to acute respiratory problems. In such a juncture, the eco-friendly billboard developed by Dhruv and team could usher in a new change, and could bring down air pollution levels to a certain extent and prolong the lifespan of mankind.  

Image Credit: alexmit / 123RF Stock Photo, and vicspacewalker / 123RF Stock Photo

 

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