Greenairy builds smart plant towers to clean office air

Greenairy, a startup founded by Tanvi Thombre and Lakshya Saraf, is developing smart plant towers aimed at improving indoor air quality by breaking down toxic gases. The founders were motivated by their own experiences with poor air quality in a university makerspace, which led them to investigate the health risks associated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and "sick building syndrome."

Unlike conventional air purifiers that are effective against particulate matter but less so against toxic gases, Greenairy's towers utilize plants, which they claim are a natural and more effective solution for removing VOCs without requiring filter replacements. Saraf noted that while some filters can remove a narrow range of VOCs, they need frequent changing, whereas plants offer a sustainable alternative.

Short-term pilot tests conducted in Singapore compared Greenairy's towers to a medical-grade ionizer and a HEPA air purifier. According to Saraf, the plant towers resulted in the lowest VOC levels and the fastest removal of these gases. Thombre added that an "immediate" improvement was observed within office hours, with a 50% reduction in both the daily VOC average and peak levels, with further improvements expected as the plants and microbes mature.

Greenairy's results have been validated by the German testing firm TÜV SÜD, and the company plans to publish them soon. The founders, currently based in Berkeley, California, and Singapore, intend to begin large-scale manufacturing and launch their first mass-produced towers in Singapore by the first half of 2027.