The Envi-Duino (TED)
The Envi-Duino-(TED) is a add-on device to factory chimneys /exhaust pipes specially engineered to purify the toxic fumes/emissions into eco-friendly form before dissipation into environment, with remote data monitoring. .
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), globally indoor and outdoor pollution contributes to 7 million deaths annually. The largest contributors to urban outdoor air pollution include automobiles, small-scale manufacturers and other industries, the burning of solid fuel for cooking and heating, and coal-fired power plants. Road transport is estimated to be responsible for up to 30% of particulate emissions in European cities and up to 50% of Particulate Matter (PM) emissions in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries – mostly due to diesel traffic. Evidence suggests that road transport accounted for 50% of the cost of the health impacts of air pollution – both death and illness – in OECD countries in 2010 – close to $1 trillion [2].
In Africa, air pollution is the second largest cause of death and it accounts for 16.3% of all annual deaths. Additionally, it causes 780,000 premature deaths. Because of the growing cities and megacities, use of automobiles and industrialization in Africa, there will be a large increase in air pollutant emissions from burning fossil fuels and traditional biomass hence contributing more than 50% of the global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The greatest challenge that Africa still has is the importation of outdated automobiles and technologies whose Design for the Environment (DFE) was not carefully thought through. In Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Uganda the estimate of used vehicles on the road is at least 95%[8]. It is now known globally that vehicle pollutant emissions are harmful to human health. Among the harmful pollutant emissions that relate to passenger and commercial vehicles are: carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), unburned hydrocarbons (HC), and particulates such as soot and ash. In 2013, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that particulate matter is associated with lung cancer [3]. Particulates PM10 (with diameter 10 µm) and PM2.5 (2.5 µm) all contribute to the risk of cardiovascular diseases[3].
Most African countries are already infested with the scourge of old technology in both industries and automobiles. Automobile pollutants harm our health and contain greenhouse gasses that cause climate change[1]. Burning gasoline and diesel fuel creates harmful byproducts like nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, benzene, and formaldehyde. In addition, automobiles emit carbon dioxide, the most common greenhouse gas. Therefore there is a need to combat any adverse that these could cause on human health and or the environment. Our team has built an innovative intervention to combat these challenges. Our solution is called The Envi-Duino (TED) Device. The TED device is an add-on device to factory chimneys and car exhausts that purifies the toxic fumes into eco-friendly forms. The TED device has the potential to combat the high pollution levels caused by the already existing old technology into eco-friendly forms.
[1 ] SDN, 2020, Africa News, 2020, Guardian, 2020
[2] .www.oecd.org/publications
[3] Baskin, Ariadne. "Africa used vehicle report." Proceedings of the Africa Clean Mobility Week, Nairobi, Kenya (2018): 10-16.
The Envi-Duino (TED) device is made of two words Envi-for environment and Duino-for Arduino (Arduino means best friend) ,so Envi-Duino means the Environments best friend .
TED has four components - the Pre and Post purification sensors that monitor the Emissions before and after purification respectively to confirm if purification of toxic emissions/fumes took place.
The purification of the fumes is performed via the specially designed and engineered multiple smart low-cost enhanced activated carbon filters made from locally available materials in Africa. These filters effectively perform using their adsorption potential.
- The device is also equipped with remote monitoring technologies that keep a log of emission values data from different factories and automobiles in the cloud server. As a user there is platform that lets you know if your filters are performing effectively or if they need replacement.
We have conduct a number of lab test to ensure the device performs as expected and below are the findings:
The TED device reduced the concentration of Nitrogen, Carbon monoxide and Sulphur from a concentration of 424ppm, 454ppm and 91ppm to 38ppm, 30ppm and 15ppm respectively. The graph below shows performance of the filters. We are doing additional research to ensure that the absorption rate is very close to 100%.
The TED device will ensure that the fumes that escape to the environment are eco-friendly and have no effect on the environment or humans.
Our team has currently embarked on developing a mobile application to ease monitoring and tracking of the next service or replacement of the filters.
-Our project targets majorly people living in cities and towns and those living around factories and industrial areas.
-Research shows that a high percentage of people living around factory and industrial areas and cities report in hospitals everyday with conditions that are as a result of poor quality air inhaled. Premature births and cardiovascular diseases have also been mostly reported in these areas and . There are no control measures that have been put in place to protect the locals form the toxic fumes.
-There is high rate of air pollution in these areas mainly due to toxic fumes/ emissions from the large number of factories in these areas and toxic fumes from the large concentration of automobiles with outdated technologies.
-Our solution-The Envi-Duino has the potential to purify the toxic emissions into eco-friendly form before dissipation into the environment, and this way the locals will be saved from the toxic fumes that affect both their health and the environment.
1. Racheal Abaasa-Is a Computer Engineer with expertise in embedded systems design and development and computer programming. She has a vast knowledge of product development, sensor technologies, and Internet of Things (IoT) Technologies.
2. Omoding Wycliff-He has expertise in Environmental Engineering and management and has a background in petroleum Engineering and Environmental management. He has worked alongside environmental management experts.
3. Komuhangi Cynthia-Cynthia is an expert in internet of things (IoT) and sensor technologies. She has worked on a number of projects specializing in clouding computing and data analytics. She has a a background in Computer science and information systems.
4. Wamusi Isaac Samuel-Mr. Isaac has expertise business analytics and is involved in the Research and development and user engagement.
We are in partnership with Airqo Makerere,-dealing in air quality monitoring in differ parts of the city in Kampala Uganda.
-We have been given access to the database of different air qualities obtained by their system and the analytics show the prevalence of the problem being so high i.e.-above the recommended air quality standards .
-Our research also shows that the prevalence respiratory diseases and conditions and heart related conditions due to air pollution is very high in people living around factories, industries and mega cities.
-We have interacted with factory and industry owners -some of whom their factories have recently been closed in Easter Uganda because they were not conforming to the recommended emissions quality, and our solution seemed to be their only hope to re-open their factories.
our solution therefore has been carefully designed with Design for environment (DFE) in consideration, Design thinking and human and user centered design used.
- Other: Addressing an unmet social, environmental, or economic need not covered in the four dimensions above.
- Prototype: A venture or organization building and testing its product, service, or business model
Engineer
