Delhi Installs Algae-Powered Obelia Clean-Air Units at GB Pant and Lok Nayak Hospitals Under DPCC Initiative

New Delhi: The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) today commissioned Obelia algae bio-architecture clean-air units at the Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education
and Research (GIPMER) and Lok Nayak Hospital on Jawaharlal Nehru Marg. Developed by Kochi-based Zaara Biotech, incubated at ICAR–CIFT (Government of India), 2 units are placed in patient-attendant waiting
areas and entrance plazas- OPD , where patients and families spend long hours outdoors.

The installation comes as the Union Environment Ministry and the Delhi Government step up engagement with start-ups on deployable clean-air technology for Delhi-NCR.

Nature and Engineering in One Structure

Each Obelia unit pairs a sealed microalgae photobioreactor with multi-stage air filtration. The filters capture dust and particulates from air drawn through the unit, while the living algae culture absorbs CO₂ through
photosynthesis and turns it into biomass.

A 300-litre unit grows about 43 kg of dry algal biomass a year, locking in roughly 75-80 kg of CO₂ comparable to 3- 4 mature trees, on a footprint of under half a square metre. The curved, IP-rated enclosure is built for Delhi’s dust, monsoon and summer heat, with low power draw. Algae is harvested every 45 days and, after batch quality testing, moves into Zaara Biotech’s circular value chain for feed, bio-fertiliser and other
bio-product applications.

Every Unit Reports Its Own Performance

Each unit is IoT-connected. A live API feeds an online portal where hospital administration and DPCC can see operating status, PM2.5 and PM10 readings at the unit, and a running ledger of CO₂ absorbed and biomass produced. Oxygen release is shown as a figure calculated from algae growth, and monthly reports can be downloaded for audit and ESG disclosure.

Green Advertising That Pays for Clean Air

Obelia units carry integrated display panels that open a new green-advertising model: ESG-committed companies sponsor clean-air infrastructure and carry their message on it. This gives public agencies a
recurring non-tax revenue stream to fund upkeep, while brands gain visible, verifiable climate action. The same platform is built into everyday public amenities, smart bus shelters, carbon poles along traffic corridors,
public seating and digital information boards, for smart-city corridors, transit hubs and institutional campuses. The hospital installations are the first Delhi showcase of this amenity-led approach.

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