Greenairy Builds Smart Plant Towers to Clean Office Air
How clean is the air in your workplace? That was the question Tanvi Thombre and Lakshya Saraf began investigating while working as engineering students in their university makerspace.
While working in the space, they were, in Thombre's words, "unknowingly exposed to toxic fumes from laser cutters, 3D printers, and soldering irons" β a reality they didn't fully grasp until her best friend fainted and had to be hospitalized.
"We began investigating indoor air pollution and realized it was an invisible but dangerous health risk β especially in schools, offices, hotels, salons, and any commercial buildings where air-conditioning prevents windows from being opened," Thombre said via email.
The Limits of Conventional Air Purifiers
Those risks persist even when a building is equipped with air purifiers, as their makerspace was. According to Saraf, the problem is that purifiers excel at removing particulate matter like dust and pollen but are far less effective at eliminating toxic gases such as carbon dioxide, formaldehyde, and benzene β many of which are classified as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), chemicals that evaporate easily into the air.
Thombre noted that VOCs are linked to chronic disease and "sick building syndrome", a condition in which occupants experience health effects and discomfort after spending time in a building, even though no specific cause or illness has been identified. She also pointed to Harvard research showing that improving indoor air quality can enhance cognitive function and productivity.
Targeting Toxic Gases with Plant Towers
That's why the pair is targeting toxic gases in the workplace with their startup Greenairy, which will be at this year's TechCrunch Disrupt as part of the Startup Battlefield 200.
Greenairy's approach centers on building plant towers designed to draw in air, break down toxic gases, and release purified air back into the space. As Saraf put it: "A plant in a pot cleans air slowly. But when we change the conditions around the plant, it cleans air much faster and better than these conventional methods."
Saraf also noted that while some air purifier filters can remove "a narrow range of VOCs," those filters need frequent replacement to remain effective. In contrast, plants offer "a natural solution, no harmful byproducts are formed, and no filter replacement is required."
Greenairy plant tower
via TechCrunch