Developing Cost Effective Air Filters for Developing Countries

 

The air pollution in Nepal and specifically in the capital, Kathmandu, has been described as one of the worst in the world. However, millions of people are living in the valley in poverty, and cannot afford air filters. We harness the power of a recently discovered material, metal organic frameworks (MOF), as a barrier for air pollutants. We will use locally sourced textiles to make these filters available cheaply, as a form of social entrepreneurship. The core team of PIs Gaurav Giri and Balashankar Mulloth will coordinate from the University of Virginia with a network of collaborators extending across the US and Nepal in industrial, governmental, non-governmental and academic settings to assist with the scientific and the social aspect of our proposal.