Neil Banerjee
With 14 Indian cities among the world’s 20 top polluted cities and the prevalence of a host of respiratory issues among children, Nanoclean Global Private Limited was founded to address the problem of toxic air and to help create a clean environment.
Made by Nanoclean, Naso95 is the world’s smallest wearable air purifier. It sticks to a user’s nasal orifice and prevents air pollutants and air allergens including bacteria, viruses, pollen grains etc., from entering the body. It is inbuilt with Nanoclean’s nanofiber technology, which has been developed in the labs of IIT Delhi.
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SME Futures spoke to Prateek Sharma, CEO & Founder, Nanoclean Global Private Limited to learn more about their innovative products like Naso95 and Cigibud, their manufacturing processes, their commitment to the Make in India initiative, and their plans for combating oceanic pollution caused by cigarette littering.
Here are excerpts from the interview:
What inspired the founding of Nanoclean Global Private Limited?
We have 14 Indian cities amongst the world’s 20 top polluted cities. Every 6th child in India suffers from some kind of respiratory issue. There is hardly any clean air to breathe, especially in our metro cities. I have seen people suffering from many respiratory ailments due to foul air. In fact, my mother is also an asthma patient. I wanted to bring out a convenient to use and effective product to help people. This laid the foundation for Nanoclean Global Private Limited.
How does the Naso95 product use your patented nano filter technology to capture particulate matter, bacteria, viruses, and pollen to protect against pollution particles?
Our technology is made up of millions of tiny pores and has a 100 times reduced thread diameter as compared to normal fabric. This allows our nanofilters to filter even the smallest of pollutants, including PM2.5, bacteria, viruses, pollen, etc. We use completely biosafe polymers to generate our nanofibers. Naso95 is the world’s smallest wearable air purifier. With its advanced technology and innovative design, Naso95 is set to change the way people think about air purifiers and their role in protecting our health and the environment. It sticks to a user’s nasal orifice and prevents air pollutants and air allergens including bacteria, viruses, pollen grains etc., from entering the body. It is inbuilt with our patented nanofiber technology which has been developed in the labs of IIT Delhi.
What’s the inspiration behind creating the world’s first smoking cessation filter – Cigibud? How does Cigibud work, and what is the technology that has been used to create it?
Our inspiration comes from an advisory in cinema halls where “Nandu ” is advised to stop doing “Fufu”. We found out that there are 63% smokers who want to quit smoking but because of their nicotine addiction, they are unable to do so. As per the World Health Organisation, only 4% of smokers succeed in quitting smoking without any cessation support. We realised that there was a void between advising someone to quit smoking and them actually quitting smoking. To fill this gap, we have come up with Cigibud – the world’s first smoking cessation filter. It can help a smoker to quit smoking in three months.
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It works by systematically getting you used to lower levels of nicotine without causing cravings for more cigarettes. It filters a significant quantity of tar and nicotine (up to 80 per cent%) from a cigarette without affecting its taste or the smoking experience.
Cigibud is based on the 3 month scientifically proven therapy to help quit smoking and is inspired by the Nicotine Replacement Therapy recommended by the WHO for smoking cessation.
Can you tell us about the manufacturing process of Cigibud and its availability in the market?
Cigibud is made up of a nanofilter layer from the inside and the cigarette butt looks like a normal piece of material from the exterior. It comprises of a material which is similar to the one that is used to make cigarette butts, but this material is completely biosafe. The manufacturing process involves generating nanofibers from a polymer which increases the smoothness of the tobacco.
It is available on our website and on other prominent e-commerce websites as well.
How do your company’s products stand out in terms of both their manufacturing and effectiveness in combating indoor pollution? Can you discuss the role of the Make in India initiative in your company’s mission and values?
Our company’s products, including the Nanoclean Pollution Net and Cigibud – Smoking Cessation Therapy, are manufactured using indigenous materials as part of our commitment to the Make in India initiative. What sets our products apart is the novel technology that we use, which allows our filters to be reusable and washable, unlike the other anti-pollution solutions in the market.
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Additionally, we produce our filters using biosafe and natural materials, making them effective in combating indoor pollution while being eco-friendly as well. The Nanoclean Pollution Net, for example, attaches to windows like regular mesh to prevent outdoor air pollutants from entering the home. We continue to invest in research and development to create innovative solutions that address pressing environmental and health challenges, both in India and globally. Overall, our commitment to Make in India and our innovative technology are what make our products stand out from the rest in the anti-pollution market.
How has your company evolved since it was established in 2017? Can you share some of your exciting future plans for Nanoclean Global Private Limited?
Our focus is to provide clean air wherever you go. We provide it through products which can give you fresh air whether you are outdoors, indoors and even while you are smoking. The technology we made in 2017 has seen more than 10 product applications till now. We have served over 500k customers and have exported our products to over 30 countries.
An exciting plan ahead is to replace plastic- based normal cigarette butts with biosafe material-based butts. Littering of cigarette butts is the most common source of oceanic pollution. They take nearly 15 years to degrade in the ocean while our material brings it down to just 2 months. So, a cigarette manufacturing company can use our material which is biosafe and it does not change the taste of the cigarette either.
