A Bengaluru based company found a way to tackle the air pollution problem by separating the carbon from the particulate matter and using it to make ink. Graviky Labs, which was founded by MIT Media Lab alumnus Anirudh Sharma with Nikhil Kaushik and Nitesh Kadyan, implemented the idea of using carbonaceous material as a pigment for coloring by tying up with several designers, artists, chemists, and automobile experts. This might be the much-needed solution for the increasing pollution scenario across the country.
The process of preparation has three stages: In the first step their product Kaalink, which is retrofitted to the exhaust pipes, captures the soot emitted from automobiles. In the second step the collected soot undergoes processing to remove the heavy metals and carcinogens. The final product is purified carbon pigment – a core ingredient used in making ink and paints.
Although their product Kaalink is not commercially available as yet, they plan to install it on public vehicles so that they can use specially trained individuals to remove the particulate matter and separate it from the soot. The company is still working on improving the efficiency of the capturing process.
Source:Â India Environment Portal
