Prototype of Eco-Friendly Indoor Air Purifier to Reduce Concentrations of CO2, SO2, and NO2

Abstract

Urbanization and industrialization lead to the increased usage of fossil fuels for running various types of automobiles and industries in developing countries. The rapid growth of automobiles usage in major cities causes air pollution and its direct impact on public health. This impact is alarming the worsening of the health of urban dwellers. But this impact can be reduced by breathing the filtered air. Filtering of air can be done in multiple ways. Among all, filters prepared from natural materials have become popular. In this study, an attempt has been made to find the novel approach to reduce the pollutants’ level in the air by preparing prototype indoor air purifier which is designed, fabricated and tested with eco-friendly materials and adsorbents prepared from plant extractions. The three pollutants considered were CO2, SO2, and NO2. Activated carbon was used as an adsorbent for CO2 and NO2 removal, whereas Neem bark, Mango bark, Orange peel powder and Neem leaf powder were used for SO2 removal. The prototype was designed for Hyderabad city, Telangana State of India and tested at houses of five different locations (Balanagar, Jeedimetla, Zoo Park, MGBS and JNTU) which are major traffic intersections in the city. The level of pollution before and after the installation of the instrument was measured for three months (January, February, March) and analysed. Results indicate the improvement of air quality after filtration.