Xu Zongyan says his mask can deliver air almost completely free of PM2.5. Photo: SMP
Xu Zongyan was working at a large air-conditioner manufacturer when he noticed that air-quality products were becoming increasingly important to mainlanders. He left the company to launch his own business, intending at first to design only pollution monitors. But Xu, 29, soon realised that with a slight tweak of filtration technology, he could combine air-purification with monitoring into a single “smart” device. He says prototypes are ready and he hopes to begin production in a few months.
It looks like a set of headphones, but instead of earpieces, it has a tube that emits clean, treated air in front of your nose. The device comes with a sensor that monitors pollution levels – such as the amount of PM2.5 particulates and the level of oxygen in the air around you. It also features an electrostatic precipitator – a highly efficient filtration device – which sends purified air to the nose area through either a tube or a nasal pillow.
What’s a nasal pillow, and how clean is the purified air?
The nasal pillow is similar to devices used in respiratory machines that fully cover your nose. As the purified air is delivered directly into your nose, the air you breathe can have a near-zero PM2.5 level, while surrounding PM2.5 levels can be more than 300 micrograms per cubic metre. The pillow is comfortable to wear, but some users may not like it. If you use the tube, however, the air you breathe will be a mixture of purified air and ambient polluted air. But that mixture will still have a lower PM2.5 level than the air in your surroundings.
Some air purifiers come with Hepa, or high efficiency particulate arrestor, filters. Is the electrostatic precipitator as effective in catching tiny particulates?
It’s true that Hepa filters are very effective in removing particulate pollutants, but users in such heavily polluted cities as Beijing have to change the filters every two or three months and the cost is quite high. The precipitator, on the other hand, is cheap and easy to maintain. You need only to wash it to remove the dust it catches. We wanted the device to be affordable and easy to use.
The result was good enough?
I’d say tests show that its efficiency now is comparable to Hepa filters. I worked for air-conditioner manufacturer Broad Group for four years, where I marketed its products and gained a thorough understanding of electrostatic precipitators. I decided to fix its problems – such as its low efficiency and releasing of ozone – in my wearable air purifier. My purifier also features a monitoring device as well as smartphone apps that allow users to share real-time air quality information online.
How’s your progress so far?
All the technical problems have been sorted out and we have produced prototypes for testing. We’re currently trying to improve the design so that the product will be more comfortable to wear, and we’ve invited an industrial design company to finalise our designs. I hope it will be ready for mass production in two months.
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as From drawing board to drawing fresh breath
Xu Zongyan: inventor applies air con tech to personal breathing filter
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