Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Grad Student Rigs Cheap Alternative To $1,000 Air Purifiers In Smoggy China

Posted by timothy on from the filtration-station dept.

An anonymous reader writes "University of Virginia grad student Thomas Talhelm was living in Beijing on a Fulbright Scholarship during the winter of 2012-13, when air pollution was so bad scientists likened it to a nuclear winter. Those who could afford it were resorting to an expensive solution: air filters costing up to $1,000. Talhem built his own on the cheap, getting comparable particulate count results, and has started a company that both markets the product to middle class Chinese and shows others how to DIY."

7 of 182 comments (clear)

  1. Very original by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Informative

    He straps a filter on to a fan and this is noteworthy? Ok then.

    1. Re: Very original by mspohr · · Score: 4, Informative

      Probably could combine a HEPA filter with a charcoal filter to get both particles and volatile chemicals.

      Like this:
      http://www.instructables.com/i...
      Or:
      http://www.amazon.com/Rabbit-A...
      Lots more here:
      http://www.grainger.com/catego...

      --
      I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
    2. Re:Very original by mark-t · · Score: 4, Informative
      Right there in the summary:

      ...getting comparable particulate count results

      --
      File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
    3. Re:Very original by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      If you take a look at his site, it has all the data, comparisons with commercial purifiers, timeframes, and all the other details you are saying are missing. http://smartairfilters.com/index.html#data

    4. Re:Very original by duranaki · · Score: 3, Informative

      It's not like they provide NO information. You can check out their website for FREE and see that the reduction test was done in a fixed size room over fixed time and plots the particulates over time. http://smartairfilters.com/ind.... I won't kid you, it's marketing material, but their graphs are totally better than the ones I've seen on your Tiger-Rock. They also mentioned in TFA that the $33 is for parts costs. Probably just another trick from these shysters.

  2. Re:assholes everywhere by mandginguero · · Score: 4, Informative

    Wouldn't it be simpler to strap the air filter to the smokestacks where the pollution is emitted? Nah, that'd never work.

    part of the problem is that many homes burn coal for heat, so it isn't just industrial pollution, nor from automobiles, the latter two are present during most of the year, with the former being a problem concentrated in winter.

    --
    i don't know karate, but i know ca-razy
  3. Re:Youtube of this same idea by Swave+An+deBwoner · · Score: 3, Informative

    Yes, same thing but he uses a fancy looking fan instead of a cheap old (in the US) box fan. He even uses a particle counter to measure the result just like the MD in your second link "from a university" (the University of Michigan) did. I'm posting the UoM link below; it contains a link to the Youtube video you posted.

    "Build a do-it-yourself air purifier for about $25"

    http://www.uofmhealth.org/news/sinus-hepa-0630

    The difference in this case so far as I can tell is that instead of showing people how to make an air purifier for the price of a box fan and a furnace filter, he's trying to start a company to manufacture and sell the things.

    I have a couple of these at home and yes, they work great.