Defence Institute Makes Herbal Room Freshener Designed To Contain COVID-19 Spread

Pune: The Ministry of Defence notified that the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology in Pune has developed a herbal-based immunity-boosting room freshener designed to contain the spread of COVID-19.

The product ‘Healthy Air’ has been developed by the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering using various extracts of herbal oils like Neem, Neelgiri, Camphor, Daalcheeni, Tulsi, Lemon, Turmeric, Laung, Ajwain, Lavender, Elaichi, Turmeric, Natural Vetiveru, Raimuniya and Pine.

Besides being an immunity booster, it also exhibits anti-cancerous, anti-microbial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties.

The product is claimed to be non-toxic and non-mutagenic, and purifies the air.

“The product was also experimented in aerodynamic state of the art laser-based visualisation lab for understanding the flow profile, formation of primary aerosol particles, aerosol breakdown thresholds as a function of particle size, particle density, etc. It showed that the formation of secondary particles is not noticed which results in poor dispersion of primary particles,” the statement from the Ministry said.

“The product has resulted in removing the toxic fumes, cleanses the air and does not contain any synthetic solvent /surfactant in its formulation. Further, it possesses the stress and anxiety-reducing capabilities upon breathing and helps in treating respiratory illness. Considering the blend of herbal extracts, the developed product acts as a natural insecticide, with no toxicity for the human body, and in addition, acts as a room freshener,” it added.

Unlike commercial room fresheners, Healthy Air does not affect brain neural sensing, and is useful for people suffering from allergic reactions, breathing problems related to asthma, headache, nasal irritation, or soreness in the throat.

It can be used in any kind of rooms, conference halls, public places, hospitals, malls, cinema halls, waiting lounges at airports, railway stations, etc.

The technology transfer is available for free for Indian tech startups, the Ministry said.