Tag - air purifier manufacturer

08 Nov

Do air purifiers keep out pollution?

At their core, air purifiers are supposed to work like lungs. They work on the principle of sucking in air and passing it through a filter that traps particulates of various sizes. Some air purifiers also use ozone or air sprays to remove odour.

The key claim of air purifiers is that they trap particulate matter less than 10 microns thick. Were such matter to deposit in our lungs they would, over time, erode lung capacity and is equivalent to the damage done by smoking.

Whether air purifiers actually do a good job of making the air around you more breathable rests more on anecdotal evidence than scientific assessment. “You must see the response we get from our customers on how they have reduced asthmatic symptoms after installing our air purifiers,” says Vinayendra Jain, Director, Honeywell Connected Home India.

Business has never been better for Mr. Jain. In only its second year of selling air purifiers in India, sales have doubled, though Mr. Jain didn’t disclose numbers. Given Delhi’s high pollution levels, air purifier demand in the capital far outstrips that in other places, but the company’s products — that can range from Rs.8,000 to Rs.5,00,000 — are evincing interest from as far as Kanpur, Ahmedabad and Tiruchi.

“Outdoor air and indoor air are different subjects,” says Rakesh Kumar, director, CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, “If the air outside has become twice as worse, it doesn’t mean air inside (a residence) has worsened as much.” Dr. Kumar says air purifier equipment in India hasn’t been calibrated to Indian air standards because the government hasn’t specified how it must be done so.

Air outside and inside the house

That’s why manufacturers can make claims on the efficacy of their purifiers without subjecting them to an investigation by local authorities. Indoor air has a different composition from outside. Air quality inside the house is determined by volatile organic compounds (from paints), bio-aerosols, nitrous oxides (from cooking gas), unlike air quality outside that is measured on the basis of particulate matter, carbon monoxide, ozone and sulphur dioxide levels. “The paradox is that indoor air quality doesn’t have standards for PM2.5 or PM10,” says Arun Sharma, professor, Community Medicine, University College of Medical Sciences, Delhi, “and India has no standards for indoor air quality.” That’s because there’s no agreed definition anywhere of what is an acceptable level of dust and other compounds within a home.

Dr. Kumar notes that well-ventilated homes are the best defence against pollution. “The background concentration of dust, especially in Delhi, is high and there is a natural acclimatisation by our bodies. Air purification systems are most effective in closed spaces… offices, shopping malls with poor ventilation,” he says. Dr. Sharma says that air purifiers do reduce particulate matter over a limited area, but whether they improved people’s health over the long term remains an open question.

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07 Nov

Demand for air purifiers surges by nearly 50pc in Delhi-NCR: Survey

In the wake of poor air quality in Delhi-NCR post-Diwali, air purifier market in India has seen an increase of about 50 percent in its demand, according to an ASSOCHAM survey.

The objective of the survey is to measure the hike in demand for air purifying kits across 200 electronic and general stores in Delhi-NCR in past four days.

“There has been an explosion in demand for air purifiers which has jumped nearly 50 percent as air quality in and around Delhi has become hazardous post-Diwali festival,” said majority of electronic and general stores’ representatives selling such items.

“The demand for air purifier in India has been growing rapidly across metros in India but as the smog problem became severe in Delhi after Diwali the demand for such kits has become really huge and is likely to grow steadily,” said many of the store managers.

However, many of them expressed concern saying people very often get disappointed when it comes to installing air purifiers in their homes because of its high price. The majority of the demand for air purifiers comes from offices, industrial and commercial establishments.

As per market experts, the air purifier market in India is still in nascent stage and is estimated at about Rs 250 crore but has been growing by leaps and bounds since past one year owing to rising awareness about impact of air pollution.

“The national capital has been facing problem of haze for quite some time. Pollution, allergens and firecrackers together have further caused significant deterioration in Delhi’s air quality,” said DS Rawat, Secretary General of ASSOCHAM.

“All these factors together with growth in infrastructure development activities, growing sales of automobiles, urabnisation and industrialisation provide a lucrative market for air purifiers to enhance overall quality of air in commercial, industrial as well as residential settings across the region. Significant rise in per capita disposable income of consumers is also likely to drive air purifier sales,” added Rawat.

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07 Nov

Buying an air-purifier: HEPA filters are a must, as is the right size

delhi, delhi pollution, delhi air pollution, air pollution delhi, delhi pollution, delhi pollution control, delhi air pollution control, delhi news, india news"

(Surgical masks, despite their popularity in Delhi these days, are useless against the smog and pollution haze.)

The blanket of toxic air over Delhi — the product of road and construction dust, vehicle emissions, crop- and waste-burning, smoke from Diwali fireworks, and the currently prevalent cool, still atmospheric conditions – doesn’t seem to be lifting. While the government struggles to get moving on an effective long-term plan to tackle the problem, many residents have begun to invest in air purifiers for their homes and cars. Here’s what to look for while buying one.

All modern air-purifiers feature High Efficiency Particulate Arrestance (HEPA) filters. These filters are generally rated to trap particles as small as 0.3 microns – for perspective, the thickness of a strand of human hair is about 50-150 microns. Therefore, any air purifier with a HEPA filter should be able to block out both PM 2.5 (particles that are 2.5-10 microns in diameter) and PM 10 (10 microns or more in diameter) particulates. To guard against possible confusion over what the acronym ‘HEPA’ denotes, it is a good idea to ensure the air-purifier mentions having both a ‘True HEPA filter’ and a rating of at least 0.3 microns. Some companies like Sharp claim their air-purifiers also neutralise germs — including e-coli and tuberculosis bacteria, H1N1 virus and even fungal spores — by mimicking the naturally occurring positive and negative ions in the air. You could buy a regular air-purifier and pair it with a standalone ionizer for the same effect.

Size matters

An air-purifier’s effectiveness will depend greatly on how big your room is, how much air the purifier can circulate, and how much ‘outside air’ gets in at any given time. Most manufacturers say what size of room their purifiers would be effective for, but a thumb rule is to buy one bigger than the rated room size. So, for a room that is 300 sq feet in size, it is best to purchase an air-purifier that can handle at least 400 sq ft. Also, because the extraordinary density of the current pollution and the volumes of air flowing in and out of the room will lower the purifier’s effectiveness, it is advisable to shut all doors and windows.

Delivery rate

The size match relies on an aspect of these devices called the Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR), which denotes how much air can be purified of all its particles, expressed in cubic feet per minute. Normally, there are three CADR ratings, one each for Smoke, Pollen and Dust, as these three particles tend to vary in size and thus are filtered out at varying efficiencies.

When purchasing an air-purifier, insist on getting all three numbers, given that smoke particles measure 0.09-1 micron, and are the hardest to filter out effectively. The higher the CADR number, the more effective the air purifier is for a given size of room.

Pollution masks

The surgical masks some people have been wearing are useless. They don’t seal your mouth and nose, and don’t filter out anything. Most pollution masks with a N99 rating (filtering 99% of particulate matter) will filter out dust particles, but will not do anything about the fumes.

Since desperate times — such as those prevalent in Delhi these days — call for desperate measures, a 3M face mask, paired with a P95 filter and an organic vapour cartridge, is an effective solution. This combination allows even chronic asthmatics to move around outdoors without problems. In fact, the mask filters out odours from cigarette smoke, vehicular emissions and even garbage dumps.

A less bulky option could be a mask from Respro, a UK-based company that makes neoprene masks that are equally effective. Respro’s Techno mask is ideal for the current situation as it comes with a P99 filter (rated to 0.3-micron efficiency) along with an organic vapour filter built in.

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05 Nov

Air purifier sales spike in India as its cities battle pollution

As the government fumbles over effective measures to curb severe air quality in India’s capital of New Delhi, people are increasingly looking at air purifiers for relief.

SEE ALSO: NASA reveals why New Delhi is blanketed with deadly smog

Major ecommerce businesses in India are reporting significant surge in the sales of air purifier units in the country. The product category, which has existed in India for over two decades but struggled to become a household name, has suddenly become a talking point among people on social media.

Amazon India says it sold three times more air purifiers this Diwali compared to the previous month. Almost half of all these orders came from cities such as Delhi, Gurgaon and Bangalore. Flipkart had similar findings, noting that it has seen 2.5 times growth in air purifier units sale compared to last year.

The sudden interest in air purifying products among people comes as several Indian cities report of increasingly growing air pollution after Diwali. The festival of light, which sees many people burst crackers, combined with the burning of farmlands and residual fodders in nearby states, have resulted in an unprecedented severe air quality in New Delhi and several other states in India.

Five days after Diwali, for instance, the air quality index reading of the national capital is still classified as “hazardous”. A report on UNICEF published this week found that over two billion children worldwide breathe polluted air. India and China were among the most affected countries.

Not just air purifiers, but people are also actively looking for air masks for immediate comfort. “Sales of pollution masks have jumped 6X in the last few days with customer demand being 13X over last year. The highest number of orders for pollution masks were placed by customers on Nov. 1. The demand continues to be high from northern India with most orders coming from Delhi,” an Amazon India spokesperson told Mashable India. The surge in sales happened a couple of days after Diwali, which fell on Oct. 30 this year.

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04 Nov

Air purifier 1/4 substandard! Leopard meters and other brands on the list

Recently, the State Quality Inspection Administration announced the 10 categories with the daily lives of consumers in relation to the national product quality supervision and inspection results, the air purifier products pass rate for 75.4%, that is to say, the sale of each of the four City air purifier, one belonging to the unqualified products.

The sample for the air purifier for the first time national supervision, a total sample of 8 provinces (city) 56 production of 61 batches of products, the total number of enterprises nationwide checks nearly 1/5 production enterprises, the basic coverage of all the well-known brands in the industry. The products were tested for safety index, performance index and electromagnetic compatible index ect. 3 aspect 21 projects.

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< weekly quality report > Video: survey on quality of air cleaner

15 batches of product purification performance is not qualified

The performance index of the consumers are most concerned about, is to detect the air purification ability, test results show that the 14 production of 15 batches of substandard products, substandard products detected in the 24.6%. particle amount of clean air, there are 2 batches of substandard particles accumulation amount of purified 1 batches of unqualified, formaldehyde purification efficiency (effectiveness) of 3 batches of unqualified noise, 5 batches of substandard.

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Substandard products and production enterprises are:

Beijing Jing Mei Shi environmental science and Technology Co., Ltd. is the nominal net beauty of the United States Shi mfresh air purifier;

Lang Yi environmental protection technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (manufacturer: Leopard meter information technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.) nominal for the leopard meter air purifier;

Long Yi environmental protection technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (manufacturer: Zhejiang primitive life Electric Appliance Co., Ltd.), the nominal as the original air purifier;

Air cleaner of MITSUBISHI heavy industry air conditioning system (Shanghai) Co., ltd.;

Nominal Shanghai Lifana enterprise development limited for the ion air purifier refinair;

Shanghai SIASUN Electronics Co., Ltd. is a nominal somputon SIASUN SIASUN air purifier;

Morrell appliances (Kunshan) Co., Ltd. is moral nominal Morrell Antarctic wind h03;

Zhejiang Yitian Energy Environmental Technology Co. Ltd. as the nominal air purifier Yusana;

Malata Zhangzhou Electric Appliance Co., Ltd. is a nominal air purifier for Malata;

Guangdong Clean Technology Co., Ltd. is a nominal kbis air health machine.

Safety performance is not up to the existence of risk of electric shock

Air purifier as a kind of household appliances, the safety index is mandatory, according to the national mandatory standards for household appliances to detect.

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The spot checks found that the safety performance of substandard products: 

Shanghai Qin Zhuo Electronics Co. Ltd. (manufacturer: Shanghai Hao Ze Kang Ford Environmental Technology Co. Ltd.) the nominal haoze novowater air purifier;

Kunshan Xin Yi nominal Motor Technology Co. Ltd. as the thin air purifier sheeraire seats ireland;

Morrell appliances (Kunshan) Co., Ltd. is moral nominal Morrell Antarctic wind H03;

Zhejiang Yitian Energy Environmental Technology Co. Ltd. as the nominal air purifier Yusana;

Guangdong Net Technology Co., Ltd. is the nominal kbis of the air health machine;

Weishimao Ann commercial electronic technology (Zhuhai) Co., Ltd. (manufacturer: Zhongshan city life equipment Technology Co. Ltd.) the nominal yeah should Wyatt air purifier;

Shenzhen City Department of the Qing Dynasty, the nominal for the exchange of clean technology air purifier.

Most product batches compatibility substandard 

Most of the families would also have many electrical appliances, so these appliances put together, can coexist peacefully, will not interfere with each other? EMC performance of air purifier is mandatory. The state supervision and inspection results announced, the electromagnetic compatibility is the most unqualified batch tests, including continuous harassment the voltage project has 8 batches of substandard, continuous harassment power projects 4 batches of substandard.

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Electromagnetic compatibility substandard products include: 

Lang Yi environmental protection technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (manufacturer: Leopard meter information technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.) nominal for the leopard meter air purifier;

Nominal Shanghai Lifana enterprise development limited for the ion air purifier ReFinAIR;

Shanghai SIASUN Electronics Co., Ltd. is a nominal SOMPUTON SIASUN SIASUN air purifier;

Nominal Suzhou beiang for domestic air purifier beiang;

Morrell appliances (Kunshan) Co., Ltd. is MORAL nominal Morrell Antarctic wind H03;

Zhejiang Yitian Energy Environmental Technology Co. Ltd. as the nominal air purifier Yusana;

Guangdong Net Technology Co., Ltd. is the nominal KBIS of the air health machine;

Weishimao Ann commercial electronic technology (Zhuhai) Co., Ltd. (manufacturer: Zhongshan city life equipment Technology Co. Ltd.) the nominal yeah should Wyatt air purifier;

Shenzhen City Department of the Qing Dynasty, the nominal for the exchange of clean technology air purifier.

Select six core indicators for air purifier

The sample of 61 batches of products, 35 batches of products in March 1, 2016 since the implementation of the GB/T 18801-2015< air purifier > the latest national standard, accounting for the total number of checks the product 57.4%. to the latest national standard does not execute the product, its performance index was determined in accordance with the inspection standards and product quality requirements. The experts express said that enterprises do not implement the new national standard does not mean that the enterprise can reduce the quality of products, in fact, mainstream domestic brands all express enterprises have to implement the new national standard.

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In carrying out the inspection work at the same time, in order to guide consumers to purchase, quality inspection departments also carried out detection and comparison of product key performance index, were all random products of particle clean air volume (CADR), formaldehyde (CADR), the amount of clean air purification efficiency of particulate matter (performance), formaldehyde purification efficiency (performance), particulate matter (CCM), the cumulative amount of purified six key performance indicators such as noise detection and single detection value together with the inspection results be announced to the public, and guide consumers to carry out scientific and rational choice of products.

Experts suggest that if consumers choose to air purifier products, priority selection to determine the qualified product. “Since the implementation of the new GB products, on one hand, it is through the quality, on the other hand also shows that the nominal value of sound, not deceive consumers suspected”

Experts suggest that the haze of consumers are concerned about the selection of particulate matter purification capacity is relatively good purifier. You need to see the removal of formaldehyde CADR indicators relatively large purifier.

 

 

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03 Nov

While The Government Is Taking Its Own Time, These People Are Fighting For Clean Air

The conversation around air pollution is not a new one for India with several attempts being made in the past – some successful and some not as much – to educate citizen on the need to combat air pollution through the year.

Unfortunately, despite an all round effort to clean up the air, the results are bleak. With Delhi topping the chart in the country with the most polluted air. There have been some individuals who have worked against the odds to fight to the right to better air quality in the country.

Namita Gupta

Air Warrior

Namita Gupta has been surviving on antibiotics because of pollution. What bothered her even more was the discomfort her daughter, who is an asthma patient, faced. She thought of shifting to the US when the idea of making an app that could monitor pollution struck her. She decided against the plan and created an App from scratch. Her App, Airveda, helps monitor air pollution levels and is quite simple to operate.

Saurabh Bhasin

Air Warrior

Shocked by the impact of air pollution on him as well as his family, Saurabh Bhasin and his wife have launched a legal battle with the Delhi government for cleaning the city’s air. Among the plaintiffs is his 15-month-old daughter and two other other toddlers. The case has been filed in the Supreme Court stating that the poisonous air deprives them of their “right to life” as guaranteed by the Constitution.

“I don’t expect things to improve overnight, but I do want to see government bodies take cognisance of how drastic it is, and take some serious measures to make it better,” Bhasin told the media.

Swechha Foundation

Air Warrior

The Swechha Foundation has been promoting plantation drives across Delhi and promoting better eco-health in sensitive zones like the Yamuna among many others. During the monsoon months each year, the foundation conducts a “Monsoon Wooding” programme and with a target of planting 2,000 new trees each year, the foundation has already planted more than 10,000 trees in and around the capital.

Graviky labs

Air Warrior

The Bengaluru-based lab has been capturing soot from vehicular emissions and use it to extensively to remove heavy metals and carcinogens, before distilling it into this dense black ink. Soot, produced due to the incomplete burning of fossil fuels, easily enters the body’s bloodstream when inhaled at traffic signals, wreaking havoc.

“Air-Ink is formulated by industry standards. We can put it to a range of uses—regular inks, screen painting, newspaper ink, oil-based paints, alcohol-based paints, spray cans, even calligraphy ink,” says Nikhil Kaushik, one of the founders of the company.

Clean Air India Movement (CLAIM)

Air Warrior

CLAIM

Clean Air India Movement (CLAIM) is a nationwide launched campaign launched in May 2015. The campaign is speared by an air purifier company . The Clean Air India Movement is a 360° degree campaign aimed at engaging, encouraging, and educating Indian citizens to adopt air friendly measures in the interest of the country and its children. “Our campaign aim is to tell people that we are not helpless individuals when it comes to challenging air pollution. Even simple acts by individuals or sole companies such as it can make a difference when it comes to showing responsibility and care, which is why we have taken the initiative to make the call and mobilisation for action,” said Kannan .

 

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02 Nov

Outdoor air purifier project gathers dust

An outdoor air purifier was installed outside Palika Bazaar in 2010.photo: special arrangement

While the Delhi government is considering installing outdoor air purifiers at traffic intersections, it turns out that the last time the city experimented with such a project, it was left hanging for five years.

The New Delhi Municipal Council had set up an air filtering station in 2010, before the Commonwealth Games.

The purifier was installed outside Palika Bazaar in Connaught Place free of cost by a company called System Life on March 6, 2010. The machine cleaned 10,000 cubic metres of air every hour for about 18 months. The system worked by cleaning polluted air of particulate matter and gases with fabric filters, active carbon cartridges and electrostatic filters.

According to System Life India director Dhruv Chanana, the machine was operational till October 18, 2011, before being removed. “It was removed because no one wanted to accept the need to clean the air,” said Mr. Chanana, adding that had the NDMC gone ahead with more such purifiers, the pollution levels in the area would have reduced. That being said, the authorities have remained mum on the effectiveness of such a project.

Dr. P.K. Sharma, NDMC’s Medical Officer of Health, said it was a pilot project and had not received the necessary approvals to continue. “It was a free demonstration by the company. Before continuing with the project, it required clearance of the Central Pollution Control Board and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee. We are yet to receive that,” said Dr. Sharma.

95% efficiency

The air samples from the trial were analysed by three Italian scientists, including from the University of Modena. Their report was submitted to the NDMC and subsequently to the DPCC.

According to the report, a copy of which is with The Hindu , a total of 2.12 kg of particulate matter had been detained in 860 hours and the filtering efficiency of the system was 95 per cent.

The report concluded that with an “appropriate number of systems” (about 22 for Connaught Place) the air quality of an area could improve.

The DPCC, which works under the Delhi government’s Environment and Forest Department, for its part, did not make any comments on the efficiency of the system, as per a letter sent by one of its scientists to System Life on October 12, 2010. According to the letter, a copy of which is with The Hindu , the DPCC had not commented on the report “as no specific study was undertaken” by it.

Environmentalists, however, used the experience of the NDMC project to question the AAP government’s proposal to install outdoor air purifiers. Anumita Roychowdhury, the head of the Centre for Science and Environment’s air pollution and clean transportation programme, said air purifiers worked within confined environments, “but outdoor air is a complex chemistry with dynamic movement pattern”.

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01 Nov

How to choose an air purifier: 6 tips to help you find the best one

Diwali marks the beginning of winter smog in north India and the air remains thick with pollution till April. If your lungs are protesting and you are at your wits end over what to look for in an air-purifier to clean indoor air, look no further.

Barun Aggarwal, CEO of BreatheEasy, provider of indoor air purifying solutions, gives a checklist of things to look for in an air-purifier for your home or workplace.

HEPA filter is a must

Check the specification of the air purifier to see whether it has a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter. “There are many products in the market which say HEPA-like filters, people must avoid these. The HEPA filter clears out the small particulate matter (PM2.5 and less) that can go deep within the lungs and cause respiratory problems,” said Aggarwal.

Heavy activated charcoal

While buying an air purifier ensure that it has activated charcoal in it to remove harmful gasses as well as bad odours.

Check for a pre-filter

Buy air purifiers that have a pre-filter to remove the larger particulate matter. “In an air purifier that doesn’t have a pre -filter, even the large particulate matter present in the air would reach the HEPA filter and reduce its efficiency,” Aggarwal said.

 

Pre-filter can be easily cleaned or replaced, prolonging the life-span of the purifier.

High Clean Air Delivery Rate

The higher the Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR ) , the more air gets purified. The number describes the purifier’s ability to remove all pollutants from specific amount of air.

Area to be purified

Usually manufacturers list the area the air purifier works best in square feet. “While buying a purifier, you have to halve the area and see whether it suits your need. This is because manufacturers test equipment in a sealed environment with the purifier running at high speed. These conditions are not possible in real life because running a purifier at full speed is noisy and home and offices have leaky windows and doors opening, which brings doown efficiency,” said Aggarwal.

Avoid purifiers with negative ions, photocatalytic oxidation, UV lights

Avoid air purifiers that have either of the three specifications as these can potentially release ozone as a by-product. “Ozone is harmful for the lungs and is known to lead to more incidents of asthma attacks and other respiratory problems,” Aggarwal said.

 

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31 Oct

New bike café adds solar, wind, an air purifier, and recycles coffee grounds into flowers

Wheelys Green Warrior bike cafe

The Wheelys 4, or the Green Warrior, can put you in the saddle of a bike-based small business for under $5000.

The latest iteration of the Wheelys micro-café, a bicycle-based pop-up coffee shop that can be pedaled to where the business is, instead of attracting customers to it, is getting closer to being a truly ‘ecological café bike,’ thanks to some artful revisions to the design and functionality of this mobile business. Two years ago, we told you that for $3000, you could own one of the world’s smallest cafés from Wheelys, and since then, hundreds of these organic indie coffee shops (well, sort of indie, as there is a franchise option) have been sold to javapreneurs in more than 40 countries, with many success stories from their pedaling baristas.

Wheelys Green Warrior bike cafe

he Green Warrior is the ambitious name of the new Wheelys bike café, and the design is just packed with features, ranging from a triple burner stove to a 3-basin sink with running water, as well as an awning, a small solar panel (no specs), LED lights, a water heater, an audio system, a fridge, a 3G WiFi router and a digital display, and of course, all of the coffee-making equipment. The specs don’t mention battery storage for powering all these electric gizmos, but perhaps that was an oversight, as it’s a must-have for a mobile business.

The new Wheelys will also offer an optional mini wind turbine, as well as an integrated air purifier  “that actually CLEANS the air from smog particles.” I kind of have my doubts as to whether or not a small air purifier like this could have a significant impact on local air pollution, but there aren’t very many details about this aspect of the café.

Wheelys Green Warrior bike cafe
One cool element of the Wheelys 4 Green Warrior is statement that the bike owners could turn their recycled coffee grounds “into small soil cubes packed with flower seeds, which we plant on the way to work.” And they must have anticipated our questions, because the very next sentence reads “No, we are not kidding!”

Just like the launch of the earlier Wheelys bikes, the Green Warrior is also using crowdfunding as a way to jumpstart the new product, with an Indiegogo campaign in the works that has already doubled its goal in just three days.

hose who want to run their very own “Starbucks killer” bike cafés can reserve theirs for a pledge of $4999, which Wheelys contrasts to the cost of starting a Starbucks ($500,000), and which could bring in the owners of these pedaling coffee carts as much as $700 to $1000 per day in the right location. And with the Wheelys franchise fee being just under $200 per month (USD), it’s also said to be the world’s cheapest franchise, as well as being the “fastest growing food franchise ever,” so this could be the organic pedalpreneur opportunity you’ve been waiting for.

 

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31 Oct

With mist fountain and air purifiers, Delhi gears up for fight against pollution

The Aam Aadmi Party government said on Friday it will install giant outdoor air purifiers at five highly polluted locations in Delhi, unveiling more measures to battle the capital’s smog.

A mist fountain will also be set up in a yet-to-be identified location, transport minister Satyendar Jain said amid a steady spike in pollution levels, which experts say can cause several ailments ranging from respiratory problems to even cancer in humans.

Jain said the systems, to be installed by mid-December, will be placed at road intersections in Anand Vihar, ITO, Sarai Kale Khan, Kashmere Gate and IIT (Delhi) or AIIMS.

The units works on the lines of a home air purifier by trapping particulate matter, besides improving dispersion of pollutants that remain suspended just above ground in winter.

Experts, however, are skeptical about the system, which has a functional radius of 20 meters and could fail when pollution levels are too high.

Anumita Roychowdhury of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) – a Delhi-based research group — said it was not a good idea.

“Purification works in a confined space, not in the open. The government should focus on other short-term measures,” she said.

Last winter – a period when air toxicity jumps manifold -– the AAP government had twice introduced a rationing measure that allowed vehicles to ply on alternate days based on registration numbers ending with odd or even digits. The effort, however, failed to yield the desired results.

An official said the Wind Augmentation and Air Purifying Unit (WAYU) — developed by IIT Bombay and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) – can potentially reduce particulate emission by 40%-60% during peak traffic hours.

The government believes the move will indicate its intent to improve Delhi’s air quality which is expected to deteriorate with farmers in neighbouring states such as Punjab and Haryana starting their annual crop residue burning.

On Friday, particulate matter (PM) level in Delhi’s most polluted zone — Anand Vihar — touched 960 micrograms/cubic meter against a safe level of 60.

The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) also said in its Diwali forecast that PM 2.5 — minute particulates that penetrate the lungs and cause breathing ailments — would increase by up to 20%.

Sources said that open air purification is not a tried and tested measure as one system was installed in Hong Kong in April 2015 without much success.

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