Greenairy is building smart plant towers to clean the air in your office

How clean is the air in your workplace? That’s the question Tanvi Thombre and Lakshya Saraf began investigating when they were engineering students who worked in their university makerspace. In fact, Thombre said via email that, while working in the space, they were “unknowingly exposed to toxic fumes from laser cutters, 3D printers, and soldering irons,” but they didn’t realize it until Thombre’s best friend fainted and had to go to the hospital.

你工作场所的空气有多干净？当 Tanvi Thombre 和 Lakshya Saraf 还是在大学创客空间工作的工程系学生时，他们就开始调查这个问题。事实上，Thombre 通过电子邮件表示，在那个空间工作时，他们“在不知情的情况下接触到了激光切割机、3D 打印机和烙铁产生的有毒烟雾”，但直到 Thombre 最好的朋友晕倒并被送往医院，他们才意识到这一点。

After that, Thombre said, “We began investigating indoor air pollution and realized it was an invisible but dangerous health risk — especially in schools, offices, hotels, salons, and any commercial buildings where air-conditioning prevents windows from being opened.” Those issues persist even when a building is equipped with air purifiers, as their makerspace was.

此后，Thombre 说：“我们开始调查室内空气污染，并意识到这是一种隐形但危险的健康风险——尤其是在学校、办公室、酒店、沙龙以及任何因空调而无法开窗的商业建筑中。”即使建筑配备了空气净化器（正如他们的创客空间那样），这些问题依然存在。

The problem, according to Saraf, is that although purifiers are good at cleaning out particulate matter like dust and pollen, they are less effective at removing toxic gases such as carbon dioxide, formaldehyde, and benzine (many of which are classified as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs — chemicals that evaporate easily into the air).

Saraf 表示，问题在于，虽然净化器擅长清除灰尘和花粉等颗粒物，但在去除二氧化碳、甲醛和苯等有毒气体方面效果较差（其中许多被归类为挥发性有机化合物，即 VOCs——容易挥发到空气中的化学物质）。

Thombre said that VOCs are linked to chronic disease and “sick building syndrome,” a condition in which occupants experience health effects and discomfort after spending time in a building, even though no specific cause or illness has been identified. She also pointed to Harvard research showing that improving indoor air quality improved cognitive function and productivity as well.

Thombre 指出，VOCs 与慢性疾病和“病态建筑综合征”有关，这是一种居住者在建筑内待了一段时间后出现健康影响和不适的状况，尽管尚未确定具体原因或疾病。她还提到了哈佛大学的研究，该研究表明改善室内空气质量也能提高认知功能和生产力。

That’s why the pair is targeting toxic gases in the workplace with their startup Greenairy, which will be part of Startup Battlefield 200 at this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt. Greenairy’s approach centers on building plant towers that are supposed to draw in air, break down toxic gases, and then release the purified air.

正因如此，两人创办了初创公司 Greenairy，旨在解决工作场所的有毒气体问题，该公司将参加今年 TechCrunch Disrupt 大会的 Startup Battlefield 200 活动。Greenairy 的方法核心是建造植物塔，旨在吸入空气、分解有毒气体，然后释放净化后的空气。

As Saraf put it, “A plant in a pot cleans air slowly. But, when we change the conditions around the plant, it cleans air much faster and better than these conventional methods.” Saraf also said that while some air purifier filters can remove “a narrow range of VOCs,” those filters need to be changed frequently to be effective. In contrast, plants are “a natural solution, no harmful by-products are formed, and no filter replacement is required.”

正如 Saraf 所言：“盆栽植物净化空气的速度很慢。但是，当我们改变植物周围的条件时，它净化空气的速度和效果都比这些传统方法要好得多。”Saraf 还表示，虽然一些空气净化器滤网可以去除“小范围的 VOCs”，但这些滤网需要频繁更换才能有效。相比之下，植物是“一种天然的解决方案，不会产生有害副产品，也不需要更换滤网。”

Greenairy has already conducted short-term pilots at locations around Singapore. Saraf said that in the startup’s own testing using RESET-certified air monitors, it compared three offices: one with Greenairy plant towers, one that had a medical-grade ionizer, and a third with a HEPA air purifier that traps very small particles. “Our tower had the lowest VOC levels and removed VOCs the fastest,” she said. “The office staff also grew fond of the natural ‘fresh’ aroma of the tower and the natural vibe it brought.”

Greenairy 已经在新加坡各地的地点进行了短期试点。Saraf 表示，在公司使用 RESET 认证的空气监测器进行的测试中，他们对比了三个办公室：一个安装了 Greenairy 植物塔，一个安装了医用级离子发生器，第三个安装了用于捕获极小颗粒的 HEPA 空气净化器。“我们的塔 VOC 水平最低，去除 VOC 的速度最快，”她说。“办公室员工也逐渐喜欢上了植物塔散发的天然‘清新’香气及其带来的自然氛围。”

Thombre added that they saw an “immediate” improvement within regular office hours, with a 50% reduction in both the daily VOC average and peak levels. She said the results improved even more “as the plants and microbes mature and the gases are prevented from accumulating.” Greenairy has also had its results validated by the German testing and certification firm TÜV SÜD and will be publishing them soon.

Thombre 补充说，他们在正常办公时间内看到了“立竿见影”的改善，每日 VOC 平均值和峰值水平都降低了 50%。她说，随着“植物和微生物成熟，气体积累得到抑制”，结果甚至得到了进一步改善。Greenairy 的结果也已通过德国测试认证机构 TÜV SÜD 的验证，并将很快发布。