As the scientific community continues to work hard to deal with Covid-19, trying to demystify it and indeed find a reliable treatment for it, but the continuous outbreak of mutants and variants around the world makes this disease more mysterious and difficult to control . Although various forms of vaccines developed by global and local pharmaceutical companies provide some potential protection against this terrible virus, no one anywhere in the world can get 100% protection. In addition, since it was confirmed that the virus can even spread in the air and spread through small aerosols in the air, its transmission time and distance are much longer than previously estimated, so the possibility of infection and aggravation of infection has increased exponentially. Therefore, even if vaccines and other forms of treatment are being developed to eliminate the virus in the human body, the need to inactivate and neutralize it in the air is equally urgent. Among the limited number of technology options that have recently emerged, ultraviolet (UV) light technology is an effective choice. When ultraviolet light is used as a bactericide to neutralize microorganisms, ultraviolet bactericidal radiation (UVGI) appears as a related term. Reliable studies have shown that the spread of coronavirus occurs more in indoor spaces than outdoor spaces, so the role of UVGI technology has become more important. Financial Express Online interviewed Himanshu Agarwal, founder and CEO of Magneto CleanTech, to discuss new developments in the air purification industry, pandemics, and pollution. extract:
How has India’s air purification industry developed in recent years? What will happen in the future?
In recent years, with the support of a large amount of global investment in technology development, the air purification industry has achieved tremendous development in many ways. With a better understanding of the long-term harmful effects of air pollution on the human body and mind, various institutions are seeking more in-depth research, inventions and improvements. For example, traditionally air pollution was controlled by PM2.5 particles suspended in the air, but now the world is turning to measuring PM1.0 particles and VOCs that are more harmful to human systems. UVGI technology has also made great progress-traditionally very effective for air disinfection in the medical field, it is now being introduced for use in any type of indoor environment to prevent coronavirus. It is now known that the emergence of airborne Covid-19 has increased the adoption rate of air purification many times, because modern air disinfection technology can eliminate 99% of the coronavirus from the indoor environment. In India, even before the emergence of Covid, the compound annual growth rate of the past three years has reached 25%, and the recent performance of the industry has also been very strong. As air pollution is increasingly recognized as a long-term challenge faced by all developing economies such as India, the future of the industry is promising. Now, India's market penetration rate is close to 20%.
What key role did Magneto play in the Covid era? What do you think is the opportunity in your industry? Since the emergence of Covid-19, Magneto has launched many air disinfection solutions, including the Magneto central air purifier, which is co-powered with UVGI, which has been tested and certified by the American ALG laboratory to eliminate more than 98% of the coronavirus. We have also introduced UVGI-based air purification solutions, which can be applied to split and box air conditioners of any brand and capacity, including retrofits. Magneto has also become an industry partner in the global academic-industrial cooperative research project initiated by IIT-Madras, developing advanced UV-based air disinfection systems for developing countries such as India. Covid-19 has prompted Magneto to redouble its research and development efforts to introduce a world-class globally certified air purification system to combat the coronavirus. Although it is very unfortunate, the violent impact of Covid-19, the permanent fear of the virus, and the need to continuously prevent home-borne infections and infections Pollution has created unprecedented opportunities for the industry. For example, India's UV business has grown 5 times in the past two years. As for us, in addition to having many top corporate names as our customers before Covid, we now also cooperate with many companies, hotel chains, hospitals, educational institutions, government offices and real estate companies to provide them with Covid-based services. Air purification solutions.
Magneto's product portfolio? And your growth strategy after Covid? The company has an end-to-end range of air purification solutions suitable for all needs-household, commercial, industrial, corporate and institutional needs. Our world-class solutions, such as Magneto Central Air Cleaner or MCAC, are equipped with a range of technologies, including Electronic Charge Filter (ECF), Filterless Magnetic Air Purification (FMAP) and Ultraviolet Sterilization Irradiation (UVGI), designed for all types Design air-conditioning systems such as wall split type air conditioners, box type air conditioners, fan coil units (FCU) and air handling units (AHU). We also provide a wide range of UVGI solutions, including upper room UVGI, UV tower and UV solutions for retrofitting existing air conditioning systems.
Magneto's vision has always been to provide clean and safe air for everyone. After Covid, our strategy will continue to move towards our vision, investing in the advancement of air purification technology and expanding to the mobile, transportation and residential markets. In the past year alone, although Magneto’s UV business has increased by 5 times, especially driven by the unfortunate second wave, in general, we have increased by nearly 150% year-on-year in the past 3 years. Intend to continue to maintain this speed.
What technologies must be used to keep our indoor clean and safe? Based on our extensive research and experience in the field of indoor air quality (IAQ), air purification has been proven to be the most effective way to eliminate all kinds of harmful particles, including PM10, PM2.5, PM1.0, bacteria, viruses, odors, VOCs And other pollutants in the air you breathe. No other measures can provide immediate impact like air purification technology, eliminating the smallest harmful pollutants in indoor air. Some of the leading technologies that must be used to keep indoors clean and safe include ECF, FMAP, and UVGI. Himanshu Agarwal, CEO of Magneto Cleantech
How does the UVGI solution prevent the new coronavirus? Although not a new technology, UVGI has been rediscovered and customized to meet the protection needs of the coronavirus. As a proven air purification technology, UVGI disinfects the air by emitting UV-C rays with a wavelength of 253.7 nm. These rays kill bacteria, viruses, and fungi by destroying the DNA of microorganisms, preventing them from reproducing, thereby eliminating them. Similarly, UVGI can eliminate or inactivate coronavirus. Since Magneto's MCAC-UVGI is rated as the lowest efficiency report value (MERV) 15, it can handle the smallest microorganisms and pathogens, including coronaviruses.
Why should indoor air disinfection be prioritized after COVID-19? Many studies around the world have proven that the coronavirus can be spread through the air, which means it can be suspended in the air for a long time. It has also been observed that the coronavirus can ride on the back of PM2.5 pollution particles and spread faster and longer. In fact, the airborne transmission route of the coronavirus proved to be the most prominent route. Most importantly, the risk of spreading viruses in air-conditioned spaces is much higher because they usually lack ventilation and recirculate the same air indoors. In view of all these facts, indoor air disinfection must become the primary task of various indoor spaces, especially schools, hotels, offices, gyms, restaurants and other public places.
How does Magneto's solution work with large enterprises and commercial organizations to combat the airborne COVID-19? Magneto’s proprietary and top-level solutions are being adopted by leading companies and commercial organizations, including Google, Apple, Uber, BMW, Airbus, Nokia, Jindal Group, Taj Hotels, Oberois, PGI Chandigarh Hospital, Godrej Properties, and DLF are just a few examples.
How does Magneto's filterless technology combat the pollution that the country is currently facing? Unlike traditional purification systems that must change filters regularly, Magneto's system based on non-filter technology-Magneto Central Air Cleaner (MCAC) has built-in trapping technology, which can not only trap but also completely eliminate microorganisms and pollutants from indoor air. The device creates an artificial magnetic field through a three-stage process of pre-filtration, charging and agglomeration to systematically capture and destroy the smallest microorganisms and pathogens, irreversibly. At the same time, the feature of no filter means that the system will not affect the air flow capacity, so it will not affect the cooling capacity of the air conditioning unit. Due to the low pressure drop provided by this technology, it improves the performance of the air conditioning system and extends the life of the AC by keeping the coil clean. MCAC is now working with UVGI to provide an additional layer of security to completely prevent airborne viruses and infections. Magneto's products are designed, manufactured and manufactured in India, and the pricing takes into account the price sensitivity of India and other developing economies.
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