Key Details
PhycoTree is an indoor air-cleaning device developed by Trinity International that uses living microalgae to help treat air passing through it. A validation report published by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) brings together laboratory tests, a small occupied-office trial and plans for a larger commercial system.
Setting/Feature | What the Report Records |
|---|---|
10-day office trial | A 45-litre unit recorded approximate reductions of 54% in PM2.5, 50% in PM10 and 60% in carbon dioxide. |
Office air-quality reading | Sensor-reported AQI fell from about 130 to 51, a 61% reduction. The report’s calculation based on particulate measurements alone gives a smaller improvement of about 37%. |
Controlled-chamber tests | After 12 hours, PM2.5 and carbon dioxide each fell by about 98%, and PM10 by about 97%. Several gases and chemical pollutants recorded 94–99% reductions after 24 hours. |
Proposed larger unit | A 750-litre design is intended for larger indoor and semi-enclosed spaces; it was not the unit used in the office trial. |
Routine upkeep | The report says roughly 60–75% of the reactor liquid may need replacing every two to three weeks, depending on operating conditions. |
A Living System Designed to Treat More Than Dust
Conventional filter-based purifiers primarily capture particles. PhycoTree instead passes air through a microalgae-filled chamber. The algae use carbon dioxide during photosynthesis and produce oxygen and biomass, while the system is designed to reduce particles and other pollutants in the passing air.
That wider pollutant range is the technology’s distinctive proposition. Alongside particulate matter and carbon dioxide, the report presents controlled tests for nitrogen and sulphur oxides, ammonia, benzene, formaldehyde and other chemical pollutants. The tested substances and times differ, so the laboratory results should not be compressed into a single removal rate for “air pollution”.
The Office Trial Gives a Different Picture from the Lab
The controlled tests produced the largest percentage reductions, generally after 12 or 24 hours in a test chamber. The occupied-office trial provides a more practical, though smaller and shorter, indication of performance. Over 10 days, its 45-litre unit recorded reductions of around half in PM2.5 and PM10, alongside a decline in carbon dioxide.
The report gives two ways to describe the office air-quality change. Its overall sensor-reported AQI fell by roughly 61%, but its particulate-based calculation indicates an improvement of about 37%. Carbon dioxide is reported separately: it is not included in India’s national AQI. Keeping these measures apart gives a clearer account than saying simply that “air quality improved by 61%”.
The trials establish measured performance in their respective settings. They do not yet show whether the proposed 750-litre unit will sustain those results across larger buildings, different seasons and changing occupancy.
Commercial Use Would Depend on Ongoing Biological Care
A living air-treatment system has different operating needs from a purifier whose filters are periodically changed. The report describes an algal growth cycle and says much of the reactor liquid may need replacement every two to three weeks; frequency would vary with pollution load and conditions. The removed liquid or harvested biomass might have other uses, but suitability would need to be established.
The proposed commercial approach is therefore air purification as a managed service: installation, monitoring, culture management, maintenance and performance reporting would be handled on an ongoing basis. That model matters because the system’s value to a building operator would depend not only on initial pollutant reduction, but on consistent performance and the cost of keeping it running.
Policy Relevance
PhycoTree offers a potential complement to ventilation and filtration in indoor spaces where particles and other pollutants need attention together. The PSA-published report provides encouraging test results, particularly the office measurements, but it does not establish health benefits or an improvement in outdoor city air.
For any use in public buildings, the next evidence would be longer trials of the larger unit under normal occupancy, with comparable measurements before and during operation. Those trials would also need to establish energy use, maintenance costs, safe handling of spent liquid and biomass, and performance alongside existing ventilation. That is the evidence needed to move from a promising trial to a credible purchasing decision.
Follow the Full Report Here: Scientific Validation and Performance Evaluation of PhycoTree, published by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser