IISc team develops ‘germ killer’ air filters

BENGALURU: Apart from boosting your health, green tea can now be used to purify the air. Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have come up with a ‘germ killer’ air filter, developed from ingredients like polyphenols and polycationic polymers, commonly found in green tea, that rupture microbes through site-specific binding and destroy them.

Such anti-microbial filters can prevent diseases caused by air-borne pathogens. These filters can be used in air conditioners, central ducts and air purifiers and can play a crucial role in fighting air pollution and preventing the spread of air-borne pathogens like coronavirus.

The team was led by Professor Suryasarathi Bose and Professor Kaushik Chatterjee. The researchers explained that continuous use of air filters make them a breeding ground for captured germs. The germs clog the pores of the filter reducing its lifespan. The resuspension of the germs can possibly infect people in the vicinity.  

The antimicrobial air filters have been tested at the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) and were found to be able to deactivate the delta variant of Covid with an efficiency of 99.24 per cent. The technology was transferred to AIRTH, a startup, which is commercialising the germ-destroying air filters.

Special grants from the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) and  SERB-Technology Translation Awards (SERB-TETRA) supported the initiative during Covid. It was also granted a patent this year.