Delhi teen develops eco-friendly, affordable air purifier under Atmanirbhar Bharat

A 19-year-old Delhi boy Krrish Chawla has invented a domestically manufactured affordable air purifier ‘Breathify’ to cleanse the air and tackle the issue of air pollution in the capital, achieving a milestone under India’s and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's envisioned Atma Nirbhar Bharat initiative. The eco-friendly plug-in-play device costs just about Rs 4,990 and comes with a high-efficiency HEPA filter and the “reverse air technology”. The young aspirant was also honoured by the CEO of NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant who shared the success story of the boy’s invention on his official Twitter handle. 

Chawla’s startup has already sold close to 4,700 units and has made donations to at least 500 institutions that care for vulnerable groups such as old age homes, hospitals, orphanages. He aims to do a fundraiser for 2,000 more care homes. The young entrepreneur describes his invention “way better than the industry standard”. According to his company’s website, the air purifier removes 99.97 percent of the harmful pollutants as small as 0.3 microns from a room. 

"Dynamic young entrepreneur! Delighted to meet Krrish Chawla, age 19. His Start up @Breathifymakes affordable air purifiers - 100 per cent #MakeinIndia and non-plastic. A Gr8 step towards #AtmaNirbharBharat Congrats," Kant tweeted appreciating the boy on January 22. 

[Credit: Twitter/@breathify]

Manufactured out of 'bio-degradable compressed wood'

The CEO of Breathify Inc. has battled with respiratory issues during his childhood, and hence he grew up with air purifiers around himself. He was dedicated to inventing a cost-effective purifier that converts polluted air into breathable and minimizes environmental hazards. The teenage boy, as a science student, was well acquainted with the electrical circuit and therefore he came up with a prototype of the revolutionary air purifier that was not only pocket friendly but 98 percent nonplastic, with a simplistic design. 

"When I was young, I suffered from respiratory issues and had to use nebulizers and cortisone. I was surrounded by air purifiers. As a curious kid, I used to open up a lot of machines. When I opened up a purifier and realized it is a very simple machine but costs ₹35,000 to 40,000. I was shocked that a simple machine like this was so expensive," Chawla told ANI. 

Chawal's invention's concept is completely thought of and manufactured in India. The product consumes just about a minimal 25-65 watts of electricity. According to the company, the only maintenance associated with the air purifier is its HEPA filter that needs replacement. It is the world’s first plastic-free air purifier made entirely out of bio-degradable compressed wood and lasts for over 1500 hours of use.