A U R A E : A D I Y A I R P U R I F I E R
T L ; D R
We are the first generation to spend 90% of our time indoors. This simple fact is making us sick; but some of us have it worse. Toddlers from low income homes are hospitalized for asthma almost 5 times as often as high income renters. Aurae is a DIY air purifier and planter that can be made entirely from recycled materials. This means that with the right instructions, anyone could take a trip to their trash room and build themselves a purifier. The design is based on NASA's Clean Air Study; in which specific plant species, activated carbon, and a fan were combined to accelerate the natural purification process of plants and improve indoor air quality. My design combines these elements into a DIY kit that is affordable and accessible to the populations most at risk for poor indoor air quality.
PROBLEM
Did you know we’re the first generation to spend 90% of our time indoors? That’s a lot of time to spend surrounded by materials made with unknown ingredients that off gas and chemicals like triclorethylene, formaldehyde and benze. In the short term chemicals like these these cause symptoms of “Sick Building Syndrome” and in the worst cases are human carcinogens
At the same time time, normal actions like cooking and cleaning and burning candles contribute to small airborne particulate. Low income urban renters arguably have it the worst as they have the least amount of agency as it relates to the materials and cleaning products used in their buildings. Proof can be found in the asthma hospitalization rate of New York renters . Toddlers from low income homes are hospitalized almost 5 times as often as high income renters.
The goal of Aurae is to address the issue of indoor air quality with an affordable, and accessible product that provides a sense of agency for those who have it worst.
RESEARCH
NASA’s clean air study was my entry point into low tech purification opportunities. This well known study is the one that states plants have the capacity to improve indoor air quality. While this is definitely true, it should be noted that this study wasn’t conducted using plants alone. In fact they were using plant in combo with activated charcoal and a fan. So lets take a look at why they would have added these two extra elements:
Activated charcoal
The activated charcoal was added to the soil bed because of its incredible absorptive properties; the process of activation increases its surface area and porosity exponentially which allows it to catch gasses like formaldehyde and benzene as well as extremely tiny particulate. Although it seems incredulous, 1 pound of active charcoal powder contains the surface area of approximately 100 acres.
Plants and charcoal are such a harmonious pair because the root system and it’s microorganisms destroy and concert all of these air pollutants into new plant tissue.
Fan
Next- the fan was used to pull air into the root system because it was discovered that exposing the pollutants to this area of the plant absorbs them up to 8 times better. My final design combines these 3 important elements into a totally new format: a DIY air purifier and planter thats affordable, accessible, and provides a sense of agency for those who participate.
MVP
The exterior body is made from pre-cut and scored corrugated cardboard pieces that slot together and requires no adhesives. The interior vessel is a self watering planter that’s made by the user from a recycled 2L soda bottle. The interior planter has an air permeable top half where the soil and active charcoal mixture live; this allows air to be pulled downward and out
The cotton string allows water to be wicked from the bottom half of the planter up into the root bed.
The fan located behind the grill is sourced from an e-waste recycling plant here in NYC, and is responsible for increasing the air volume the root system and soil come in contact with.
The Kit
The kit which can be ordered online includes the harder to source elements like activated charcoal, the fan , and dowels for assembly. The user is responsible for things like the soda bottle, the plant, and basic tools. Informational sheets walk the user though the steps to assemble their purifier and will recommend which plants are best at purifying the toxins we commonly encounter in our homes.
Open Source
Since this DIY product is all about accessibility; the website would also have a document that encourages open-source experimentation. The two purifiers located on either side of the center are real efforts at open sourced versions; and were made only using materials they already had laying around. The only elements I provided were the active charcoal and plant.
But does it work?
Now you’re probably wondering if this actually works. In a control test of a 100 square foot bedroom, the Indoor Air Quality meter reading improved significantly after just 60 minutes of continued use.
Conclusion
So while I won’t claim that this product will cure asthma and perfectly purify the home; I do think its a good example of how non-virgin materials and participatory design can be used as both a preventative measure and an educational tool; and if user testing taught me anything — it was the importance of the pride felt by the person who made the purifier.
