Boosting air quality through zero-energy, sustainable filtration

Indoor air pollution is often treated as a problem that can be solved with more technology, more equipment, and more energy. Yet billions of people around the world continue to breathe polluted air indoors, particularly in regions where electricity is expensive, unreliable, or inaccessible. 

“We often think of pollution as an outdoor problem, but buildings are porous,” said Waku Ken-Opurum, a PhD candidate in Carnegie Mellon University's School of Architecture and recipient of a Scott Institute for Energy Innovation's Entrepreneurship Award. “Pollutants from traffic, industry, wildfires, and household activities routinely enter homes, schools, and workplaces, affecting the air people breathe every day.” 

Supported in part by the Scott Institute entrepreneurship award, Ken-Opurum is developing CLAIR (Clean Air Innovation for Resilience), a passive, biodegradable air filtration technology designed for windows, vents, and other building openings while also enabling environmental-friendly disposal. Unlike conventional HVAC filters or portable air purifiers that require electricity and ongoing energy consumption, CLAIR aims to improve indoor air quality through a low-energy approach that captures pollutants as outdoor air enters buildings while reducing dependence on energy-intensive filtration systems.

The approach could have particular impact in communities facing both high pollution exposure and high energy burdens, including industrial corridors, rapidly urbanizing cities, and regions affected by wildfire smoke. It may also benefit households in resource-constrained settings where rolling blackouts and unstable electrical grids limit access to traditional air purification technologies. By combining passive filtration with biodegradable materials, the project seeks to improve access to cleaner air while reducing waste associated with traditional synthetic filters.

Since receiving the entrepreneurship award, Ken-Opurum has assembled a multidisciplinary team spanning materials science, machine learning, sustainability, and product development to advance the technology toward commercialization. The team has begun acquiring critical prototyping equipment, evaluating candidate materials and coatings, developing manufacturing pathways, and preparing for laboratory validation and pilot testing. They are also developing complementary AI-enabled tools that support materials discovery and evaluation, helping accelerate the identification of sustainable filtration solutions.

Over the past year, CLAIR has participated in entrepreneurial and manufacturing-focused programs such as the NextCorps Manufacturing Accelerator that are helping shape its product development, prototyping strategy, and commercialization roadmap. The project is currently advancing physical prototype development, preparing technical publications, and building partnerships that will support future pilot deployments. Looking ahead, Ken-Opurum and her team hope to validate the technology in real-world environments, expand manufacturing readiness, and continue building toward a future where cleaner indoor air is more accessible, affordable, and sustainable for communities around the world.

Proposals for the Scott Institute’s entrepreneurship award can be submitted throughout the year. Proposals from CMU faculty, staff, and students are welcome.