What is the problem/issue being addressed?
Air pollution has negative impacts on our health, ranging from short-term effects, such as eye irritations or coughing, to long-term effects, such as respiratory infections, cancer, dementia and even death. According to the WHO, outdoor air pollution is estimated to have caused at least 3.7 million premature deaths worldwide in 2012, but this could be higher if links to Alzheimer’s and dementia are considered.
Smart Separations, Ltd. (SSL) has developed a proprietary ceramic filter that can be tailored and functionalised to suit many different applications in the global microfiltration industry. This disruptive filter will provide a more controlled, versatile, and low-cost solution for several industries, including stem cell & blood research, air filtration, lowering of industrial emissions and even food & drink processing.
First and foremost, we aim to address one of the most prominent issues of our day: pollution and air quality. Innovation is key to SSL’s DNA and overall strategy. Moreover, this technology addresses key issues identified: the need for better, more efficient & cheaper solutions to remove micron-sized particles and break down pollutants for a cleaner, less harmful and healthier indoor air. Our system will improve the quality of air that people breathe, while addressing issues of reusability, cost reductions (e.g. lower energy) and increased functionality/operability. For these reasons, our mission to “Improve Quality of Life Through Innovation” is well reflected in this project. With this project we will achieve our ultimate goal: to improve indoor air quality across Europe and globally.
Why is it important for society?
There are growing concerns arising from pollution; greatly affecting the environment and health. Increasing reports link air pollutants to lung damage, allergies, breathing problems and even premature death. A recent BBC report claims air pollution kills 40,000 people a year in UK and costs the NHS over €20bn per year. Air emissions and pollutant regulations are tightening worldwide, and indoor air can be highly polluted, especially if a residential home is on a busy street and air is drawn in from outside (via aircon unit or ductwork).
So fundamental is the air quality and micro-particulate problem that the European Commission adopted an important directive in 2013, the Clean Air Policy Package, highlighting the enormous impact poor air quality has in Europe. The Commission estimates 58,000 deaths per year can be avoided through implementation of better policies, saving €40-140 billion in external costs and providing €3 billion in direct benefits due to higher productivity of the workforce, lower healthcare costs, higher crop yields and less damage to buildings.
There is an urgent need to at least protect air quality, but current technologies are still incapable of offering safe and high-quality air: expensive installed complex systems are neither energy-efficient nor long‐lasting, requiring constant maintenance and offer poor filtration. Our disruptive product will bring large economic savings to the global high-volume microfiltration market. Industries currently pay high premiums for state‐of‐the‐art technologies that are deficient. Nowadays, a single ceramic filter used in industrial processes can cost in excess of €5,000 and are only used for one particular function or have to be used in combination with other filters or systems.
What are the overall objectives?
The overall objectives of the project are to take our innovative ceramics microfiltration technology to a market-ready stage and kick-off our market entry commercialisation strategy for the indoor air purification market initially.
Within this project our filter will be refined to meet two goals: (i) a design of the micro-filter, ready for mass manufacture for clean-air applications, at the best possible price whilst improving the excellent performance of the prototype; and (ii) functionalising it, through mobilisation of special coatings, to attain novel capabilities that according to our market survey would be desired by potential customers.
