The World Health Organization estimates that 90 percent of people breathe polluted air, whic

h causes 7 million premature deaths each year. That's why Ongenia LLC, a Purdue-affiliated 

startup,  is  developing  a bio-material  alternative  to  standard  heating,  ventilation and air 

conditioning (HVAC) units' air filters.

Typical  HVAC  units  control  heat  and air supply  as  well  as  ventilation in indoor spaces to 

achieve the desired room temperature and humidity. The units also include filters of polyester 

or fiberglass that remove large particles out of the air. Common air pollutants include dust, 

smoke and dirt, which can affect both indoor and outdoor air quality.

However, Andrew Huang, a graduate student in the School of Industrial Engineering, has 

developed a novel bio-based filter alternative that addresses issues of sustainability, health 

and lower expenses that are desired in the HVAC industry.

"Our filter looks and acts like a typical air filter that fits into HVAC units," Huang said. 

"However, certain biological properties of our filter allow air to pass through while filtering out 

specific particulates."

He founded Ongenia LLC to commercialize this technology, which is licensed through the 

Purdue Research Foundation's Office of Technology Commercialization.

Huang began developing the filter during his participation in the 2017 Student Soybean 

Product Innovation Competition, which asked students to find and create innovative soybea

n-based technology. This air filter alternative, originally based on soybean material, helped 

Huang and his team, FiltraSoy, win top honors and the People's Choice award at the 

competition.

Later in 2017,  Huang  also  pitched  his  business  model at the Purdue Ag-celerator and 

received $55,000 in funding to advance his startup. He said he hopes a larger air ventilati

\on company will sublicense this innovative filter from Ongenia.

"We believe our filters can help reduce in-home allergens and improve indoor air quality," 

Huang said. "Biological materials can have many brilliant features, including being a 

renewable resource and possibly having improved fire resistance."