IIT Bombay Scientist Builds Low-Cost Air Purifier Starting at ₹2,000 Can Reduce AQI by 85% – How Did He Do It? Details | Today’s news

“Poor” air quality continued in the Delhi NCR region on Friday after Mumbai recorded an unhealthy air quality index (AQI) of 171 on Thursday. Amid rising air pollution levels during the festive season, demand for quality air purifiers is expected to rise in some parts of the country.

IIT Bombay scientist developing budget air purifier

Amidst this, IIT Bombay researcher Rohan Kumar is developing an affordable air purifier that combines natural fibers, plants and beneficial microbes, Better India reported. The device is called the Enviroforge air purifier and starts at ₹2,000 and claims to reduce 80-85% air pollution during internal tests. In an interview with the publication, Kumar shared his experiences across different cities, which inspired him to find a practical solution to indoor air pollution.

Inspiration

Rohan Kumar, 27, grew up in Bihar and lived in Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra for years. Due to the differences in air quality in these regions, he realized that clean indoor air is not always available. Although initially researching wastewater treatment, he eventually saw how the same principles could be adapted for air purification.

“Working with water treatment taught me how to design low-energy, efficient and practical systems. I realized that I could adapt these principles to address air pollution,” he told the paper. Kumar began experimenting with his air purifier concept in early 2024 and built nine to ten prototypes before finalizing the design in December 2025.

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Features

His device uses bamboo, coconut, banana and jute fibers along with muslin, cotton, silk and micro-nanofibrillated cellulose. Activated carbon, biochar, zeolite and other adsorbent materials are combined with beneficial bacteria and houseplants in the system to reduce airborne pollutants.

Costs

The device is said to start in ₹2,000, while the mid-range models cost ₹5000-6000 and the premium version is priced around ₹10,000.

Rohan Kumar is working on the product alongside his PhD in Civil Engineering from IIT Bombay.

How it works

The treatment plant is said to use multiple layers of physical and biological treatment to deal with various pollutants. “The air passes through layers of fibers that capture dust and particulate matter such as PM2.5 and PM10. Gaseous pollutants are absorbed by natural adsorbents. Beneficial bacteria break down chemical pollutants and plants continuously clean the air. Nature and science work together,” Kumar explained.

In internal testing, the device was placed in an 800-cubic-foot enclosed room. The publication reports that the air purifier saw an 80-85% reduction in air pollution within 20 minutes. However, these results have not yet been independently verified or certified by an external laboratory.

For now, the device is believed to be in the testing phase.

Rohan Kumar is working with co-founders Vipul, Debashish and Abhinav on the project, with Enviroforge being incubated at IIM Mumbai.

The official launch is scheduled for December 2026, according to the report.