Tatsat Chronicle Magazine

IIT Ropar startup introduces ‘Plant based’ smart air-purifier “Ubreathe Life”

Technology uses living, breathing plants for the filtration of contaminants
September 2, 2021
Ubreathe
Prof. Rajeev Ahuja, Director, IIT Ropar (third from left) with other staff members

Budding scientists of Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), Ropar and Kanpur and the Faculty of Management Studies of Delhi University have developed a living-plant based air purifier “Ubreathe Life” that amplifies the air purification process in the indoor spaces. These indoor spaces can either be hospitals, schools, offices and your homes.

IIT Ropar’s startup company, Urban Air Laboratory, which has developed the product claims it to be the world’s first, state-of-the-art ‘Smart Bio-Filter’ that can make breathing fresh. It has been incubated at IIT Ropar, which is a designated iHub – AWaDH (Agriculture and Water Technology Development Hub) by the Department of Science and Technology.

The technology works through the air-purifying natural leafy plant. The room air interacts with leaves and goes to the soil-root zone where maximum pollutants are purified. The novel technology used in this product is the ‘Urban Munnar Effect’ along with patent-pending “Breathing Roots” to exponentially amplify the phytoremediation process of the plants. Phytoremediation is a process by which plants effectively remove pollutants from the air.

‘Ubreathe Life’ effectively improves indoor air quality by removing particulate, gaseous and biological contaminants while increasing the oxygen levels in the indoor space through specific plants, UV disinfection and a stack of Pre-filter, Charcoal filter and HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter fitted in a specially designed wooden box. There is a centrifugal fan that creates a suction pressure inside the purifier, and releases purified air, formed at the roots. The specific plants tested for air purification include Peace Lily, Snake Plant, Spider plant etc. and all have given good results in purifying indoor air.

According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report, indoor air spaces are five times more polluted than outdoor air spaces. That is a cause of concern, especially in the present Covid pandemic times.

Mr. Sanjay Maurya, CEO Of, Ubreathe claims the product has certain biophilic benefits, such as supporting cognitive function, physical health, and psychological well-being. The device supplies water to the roots whenever it gets too dry. Recommending this researched product, Dr. Vinay and Dr. Deepesh Agarwal from AIIMS, New Delhi said that the ‘Ubreathe Life’ infuses oxygen in the room making it conducive to patients with breathing issues. Prof. Ahuja assured me that IIT is capable of producing the product in large quantities to market it.


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