Air pollution is a global hazard that causes millions of deaths annually. To help address this global crisis, Batten Professor Bala Mulloth and Professor Gaurav Giri of UVA’s School of Engineering & Applied Science will harness the power of a recently discovered material, metal-organic framework (MOF), as a physical barrier for particulate matter, as well as a chemical barrier for certain volatile organic molecules, both of which are classified as air pollutants. The air in Kathmandu, Nepal is some of the most polluted in the world, but millions of residents live in extreme poverty and cannot afford air filters. Mulloth and Giri are creating inexpensive MOF films on commonly-found textiles (such as bamboo fiber, wool and cotton) using a standard coating process. The number of MOFs required to make these filters are miniscule, and can be created in large areas amenable to high-throughput processing techniques. Collaborating with professors in the U.S. and Nepal, Mulloth and Giri will test the efficacy of the filters in Kathmandu. Once the efficacy of the filters have been quantified, they will work with government and non-governmental organizations in Nepal to market and promote usage in Kathmandu.

Their end goal is to pursue social entrepreneurial approaches to producing cost-effective filters using locally-sourced materials in cities across the globe, eventually mitigating the effects of air pollution worldwide.