Ashik SV, a 3rd-year student pursuing Automobile Engineering at Dayanand Sagar Collge of Engineering, innovated a cutting-edge device that filters soot and other minute matters that pollute the air and cause breathing difficulty.
Apparently Ashik has been trying to build a device that controls air pollution since he was in the 7th grade. After designing over 35 prototypes of the same, he recently succeeded in finishing the final working prototype. He has called the device P-PAL Tree that is named after the peepal tree that provides oxygen round the clock.
Originally hailing from Shankaranarayana, Udupi, Ashik recalls incidents throughout his life that got him interested in building the device. From having nasal irritation to seeing the thick black smoke coming out of his principal’s scooter in the middle of an air-pollution class, he has been actively invested to design a device that filters out the soot or the particulate matter from the air.
His first day in the city of Bengaluru when he arrived to pursue his engineering was a little more unpleasant than expected. The city’s air pollution got to him as he suffered from breathing issues and felt irritation in his nose constantly.
Ashik noted that while there were few purifiers that filtered carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, there was practically none to deal with the problem of soot. Meeting Dr. Naveen BE, his mentor, pushed him in the right direction. Under the guidance of Dr. Naveen, Ashik unveiled the final design last year. After undergoing several hours of trials, the device is now ready to be installed around the city. The first place is decided to be the Kadrenhalli circle near Dayanand Sagar College.
Features of P-PAL Tree
In 24 hours, the P-PAL Tree is designed to filter 1 crore liters of polluted air. While the soot particles are directed to the inner chamber, the filtered air is directed outside. Every six months, the soot accumulated in the inner chamber is to be separated. Consuming only 30-40 watts, the device functions well using minimal power which is one of its highlights.
Ashik has also managed to design another version of the P-PAL Tree for industrial usage. Having registered his own company, Panjurli Labs, Ashik along with his team will now focus on manufacturing P-PAL Tree and the research regarding the same. In other things, he is working on Bamboo-based air coolers and zero-cost ocean water desalination and water purifiers.
Source: The Better India
