Air purifiers, power from tannery waste via 'Hacking Space'

Indian school students, participating in an international exchange programme between US' Chabot Space & Science Center and Science City in Kolkata, have designed prototypes for purifying hospital air, generating electricity from tannery waste and sucking up excess carbon dioxide from factory waste.

In the 'Hacking Space' programme, 24 participants from the US and India are exploring potential strategies for environmental sustainability on earth by focusing on the lessons learned from attempted space travel, said a statement from US Consulate General here on Tuesday.

Contributions of the Indian group Infinity Explorers includes a prototype to purify the air and which could be used inside a hospital in future to keep patients safe from more infections. The team Wacky Earthlings has developed a prototype to purify waste from leather processing tanneries and generate electricity in the process.

The team Event Horizon has designed a device that can be installed in almost every carbon dioxide source starting from exhaust pipes of cars, buses to factory chimneys and everything in between to reduce air pollution by adsorbing the excess gas.