Home / Technology / Workplace Air Secretly Toxic? Plants Offer Solution
Workplace Air Secretly Toxic? Plants Offer Solution
7 Oct
Summary
- Startup Greenairy uses plant towers to remove toxic gases.
- Plants are more effective than air purifiers for VOCs.
- Pilots showed a 50% reduction in daily VOC levels.
Tanvi Thombre and Lakshya Saraf, while engineering students, experienced firsthand the dangers of indoor air pollution in their university makerspace. Unknowingly exposed to toxic fumes from equipment like laser cutters and 3D printers, the issue became critical when a friend fainted. This led them to investigate indoor air quality, identifying toxic gases, particularly VOCs, as a significant health risk in commercial buildings.
Their startup, Greenairy, is addressing this problem with innovative plant towers. These towers are engineered to enhance the natural air-purifying capabilities of plants, efficiently removing toxic gases that conventional air purifiers often miss. Unlike filters that require frequent replacement, Greenairy's solution offers a sustainable, byproduct-free method.
Initial pilot tests conducted in Singapore demonstrated Greenairy's effectiveness, showing a significant reduction in VOC levels compared to ionizers and HEPA purifiers. The startup aims to scale manufacturing after results are officially certified, with plans to launch mass-produced towers in Singapore by the first half of 2027.
