This Pune-based Firm Turns Pollutants From Vehicles, Generators Into Powder At Source

For many years, Delhi has retained the dubious distinction of being the most polluted capital city in the world. Several other cities in India, too, have regularly featured in the list of the most polluted cities globally.

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The combination of several factors including stubble burning, industries, emissions from vehicles etc. contributes to the total pollution of cities across India.

Despite various measures adopted over the years, combating pollution at the source continue to remain a major challenge.

Pune-based cleantech company Pi Green Innovations has developed a filterless technology that can reduce particulate matter emissions (PM 2.5/10) at the source and from the ambient air.

Pi Green Co-Founders Irfan Pathan, and Shantanu Sonaikar

Founded in 2016 by Irfan Pathan, an MBA graduate from MIT School of Management, Pune and Shantanu Sonaikar, a Chartered Accountant, Pi Greens says it aims to create technology-driven solutions for the reduction of pollution.

"We have developed a filterless technology that can reduce PM emissions from the source itself. We have received a patent for this in a number of countries. We have developed retrofit solutions to reduce emissions from heavy vehicles, diesel gen-sets, crematoriums and ambient air," Irfan Pathan, Co-Founder and CEO of Pi Green told Indiatimes.

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How it works

Pi Green's Carbon Cutter is developed on electrostatic precipitator technology, which has been around for nearly a century.

However, instead of having the factories shut down for the cleaning process, the filterless technology does it automatically.

"ESP is a technology where you charge all the incoming particles. The outlet of the emission source like the Genset goes into our device which charges them and converts the pollutants into a powder form, which is then collected in a box," Shantanu Sonaikar, Co-Founder and Director of Pi Green, explained.

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Carbon can be used in other industries

The powder, which is carbon, can be used in several industries including paint, ink, polymer and rubber processing.

"Our R&D team is constantly exploring more avenues where we can use the carbon powder. As a pilot project, we have been in discussion with manufacturers on how this carbon can be integrated into the manufacturing process," Sonaikar said.

Though Pi Green initially focused on the diesel gen-sets, a pilot project has also been launched under which several heavy vehicles have been fitted with the retrofitters.

The National Green Tribunal had in 2021 mandated all states to have retrofits for diesel generator sets for emission control equipment.

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"We have retrofits for diesel generator sets and heavy vehicles. There is also a requirement for retrofits for crematoriums. We also have solutions for jaggery processing units which are also highly polluting," Pathan said.

Pilot projects

"We are currently doing a pilot project with the BBMP in Bengaluru in one of their crematoriums, to curb the PM emissions that happen there. We are also running a pilot project with Bengaluru Municipal Transport Corporation in which two of their buses have been fitted with the retrofitters to study their viability," Sonaikar said.

BCCL

No single solution to curb pollution

While reducing emissions from industries and vehicles can help, this alone can't solve the air pollution crisis a city like Delhi faces.

"When we talk about combating pollution, it has always been about treating it at the source. This includes industries, vehicles and diesel generators sets, which are the largest sources of PM 2.5 and PM 10. There is no single solution for any city, including Delhi. It has to be a combination of solutions covering across sectors," Sonaikar said.

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