IISC-Bangalore develops 'green' tech to rid air filters of germs

A newly developed air filtering technique that uses ingredients commonly found in green tea can deactivate germs that find refuge inside air filters, the Ministry of Science and Technology said in an official statement.

A research team led by Prof Suryasarathi Bose and Prof Kaushik Chatterjee at Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, has developed a germ-destroying air filter that can inactivate germs using ingredients like polyphenols and polycationic polymers commonly found in green tea. The 'green' ingredients rupture the microbes through site-specific binding, the statement said. With a prolonged use, air filters become a breeding ground for captured germs. The growth of these germs clog the pores of the filter, reducing their life.

Re-suspension of these germs can infect people in the vicinity, the statement said. The novel antimicrobial air filters were tested at an NABL accredited laboratory and were found to be 99.24 per cent effective against SARS-CoV-2 (delta variant). The technology was transferred to AIRTH, a start-up that is replacing the existing germ-growing air filters with these germ-destroying air filters for commercial purposes, the statement said. The air-filtering technique was granted a patent in 2022. The deployment of these novel antimicrobial filters in ACs, central ducts, and air purifiers can play a crucial role in fight against air pollution and mitigate the spread of air-borne pathogens such as several coronaviruses, the statement said.