IIT Kanpur Professor develops technology to monitor air quality

The Air Quality Index (AQI) has greatly deteriorated over the years. Further, cities like Delhi have recorded unusual amount of air pollution in the last few years. Pollution in Delhi has been a matter of great concern for authorities.

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It is extremely difficult to calculate the toxicity content of air. In order to calculate the toxicity, it is necessary to check the particulate content in the air. Particulate matter (PM) amounts to about 2.5 microns in size.

Recently a professor of IIT Kanpur, Tarun Gupta developed a technology to monitor air quality. As per reports, the device designed by Gupta has been sent for commercial production. Gupta has reportedly been working on the design since 2013. Further, the project has been funded by the Department of Atomic Energy.

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In an interview with a media portal, Tarun Gupta said that the Department of Atomic Energy approached him because they wanted to monitor traces of uranium and thorium in the air. He further mentioned that the department wanted him to monitor elements in areas where radioactive elements were mined. Gupta also said that several cities would be able to identify air samples at 15 minutes to 2-hour intervals with the help of his technology. According to him, this technology would help authorities to calculate the toxicity content of the air. Further, he said that such knowledge would help in determining state and local policies. He also mentioned that the technology developed by him was much cheaper than the existing technologies which help to test the air quality.

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As per reports, IIT Kanpur has sent the device to Airshed Professional Private Ltd, a firm owned by IIT Kanpur alumni, Dhirendra Singh. This technology will also ensure better particulate collection. The particulate matter can even be collected at low pressures with the help of this technology. Certain high volume respirable dust samplers can be easily added to the device without affecting its set-up in any manner.

As of date, real-time monitors and manual monitors are used to checking India’s air quality. At present India has about 230 real-time monitors and about 800 manual air pollution monitoring units. However, these devices only help to measure PM10 contents.

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