India’s leading air sanitization solutions provider has been taken on board as an industry partner for a global academia-industry collaborative research venture
· IIT Madras, Queen Mary University of London and Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai are the academic partners and Royal Academy Engineering (RAENG), the UK is the chief sponsor for this project
· The project envisages the development of an advanced UV-based air sanitization system that can eliminate airborne pathogens like coronavirus and TB bacterium, and prevent their spread in confined indoor spaces such as offices, hospitals or wherever large gatherings occur
· The system would also entail a unique IOT-based sensor enabling visibility of the exact Covid viral load and TB bacterial load in the indoor air space
· The system is to be designed and built with a view to cater to developing markets such as the Indian subcontinent with high-density population centres
· Through this project, the team will also seek to make policy recommendations for the current cleaning and ventilation guidelines with respect to protection from airborne diseases in cooperation with national and local stakeholders for a largescale impact
August 2021: Magneto CleanTech, India’s pioneering air sanitization solutions provider has joined an elite group of top educational institutions as the sole industry partner for an upcoming research project on developing a revolutionary air sanitization system – aimed at preventing the spread of coronavirus and TB bacterium. The collaboration includes IIT Madras, Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai and Queen Mary University of London. Royal Academy Engineering (RAENG), UK will be the chief sponsor/fund provider for this project.
The aim of this joint research is to develop a robust low-cost bio-aerosol protection system to contain airborne diseases in indoor environments for the Indian subcontinent, a geography known for its high population and heavy urban pollution. In particular, the collaboration is expected to launch India-centric Air Sanitization Technologies for deployment in confined indoor spaces such as offices and hospitals in order to prevent the spread of Coronavirus and Tuberculosis. Employing ‘Ultraviolet-C’ radiation, the project is envisaged to develop an experimental proof-of-concept of a revolutionary air filtration system. This system has a strong potential to increase the effectiveness of eliminating viruses and other airborne pathogens while also reducing maintenance cost as compared to the available filters, an important proposition for developing countries such as India. With the involvement of Magneto CleanTech, testing and implementation of this system will be done with real-time applications in various Indian environments. It is expected that this project, when successfully implemented, will benefit nearly 10 crore people in the Indian subcontinent.
“We are delighted and indeed honoured to be a part of this elite global research team. Given our longstanding focus on air quality engineering and air sanitization technologies, this was just the right platform for us to contribute where we are looking at development of a revolutionary product that has potential of ensuring health and safety of global populations, benefitting the world. Magneto is committed to providing the best services expected of an industry partner in terms of prototype testing, product development, field trials and implementation,” said Mr. Himanshu Agarwal, the CEO of Magneto CleanTech.
“While Covid has made an all-pervading and rather ‘noisy’ presence in our lives in recent times, not many of us are aware of the deadly and killing nature of TB. TB claims around four lakh lives every year in India alone. India being such a young country, the heavy pollution and contamination load in the air we breathe will impact the health of the country at large in the coming years. Therefore, it is critical that industry, academia and policy makers today come together to work towards safeguarding our people, thereby protecting the future of this country. The ongoing global pandemic has turned this need into an emergency and Magneto is backing this project with years of investment in the IAQ industry”, further added Mr. Agarwal.
Consistent with the spirit of Government of India’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Start-up India’ programs, the consortium will develop products that would be commercialized through Magneto while also generating new employment opportunities for the youth. Moreover, by way of using new age bio-sensing and simulations through an IoT device, the team will also explore mechanisms for monitoring the performance of such systems in real-time environments underscoring the need to make bio-safety visible to end-users and therefore drive awareness among them.
Echoing upbeat sentiments, Project Coordinator Prof. Abdus Samad, Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras added, “Various UVC solutions are present in the market but they lack the technical design rigor needed to ensure appropriate airborne disinfection and inactivation. This has led to consumer confusion and mistrust. The projects’ goal is to develop a solution that is extensively verified and tested from both theoretical and practical perspectives, and finally the safety made visible in a consumer-friendly manner ensures live performance of the system.”
Further Dr Eldad Avital, Queen Mary University of London, explained, “Designing any practical system needs a multidisciplinary team. Eventually we got experts from electronic and electrical system designers, microbiologists, fluid system designers. Sars-Cov-2 spreads quickly and new variants are evolving as we have seen in delta and other variants. We need to proceed with the right technology to contain, disinfect it. Our solution will work, in general, for air disinfectants for indoor conditions.”
Also Prof. Nithya Venkatesan of VIT Chennai said, “One very important aspect is that we will seek to establish guidelines for how to use this air cleaning device in concert with other policies of cleaning, ventilation and social distancing. We will account for the features found in high density population centres in India and similar developing countries. This will be achieved through advanced fluid dynamics modelling, risk analysis and co-operation with national and local stakeholders.”
The consortium will also be supported by Prof. Clive Beggs of Leeds Beckette University as the project consultant. Prof Beggs (an Emeritus professor) will look after microbiology and UVC.
Magneto CleanTech has recently launched a breakthrough air sanitization product called Magneto Central Air Cleaner (MCAC) co-powered with UVGI, capable of inactivating over 99% of coronavirus, a feat certified by US-based ALG Labs.
