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

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."

Comments

Re: Very original

[mspohr]

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...

Re:Very original

[mark-t]

Right there in the summary:

...getting comparable particulate count results

Re:assholes everywhere

[mandginguero]

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.

Re:Very original

[Anonymous Coward]

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