Corning Incorporated has received the European Commission's Horizon 2020 Materials for Clean Air Award for developing an innovative solution to reduce particulate matter in the air. The award is accompanied by a prize of 3 million euros, which Corning will use to determine the solution’s future market viability.
"Our current Air Purification system is a prototype," said David Morse, Corning’s chief technology officer. "The 3-million-euros prize will help us build a full-size demonstration unit that we may install in Europe to help us accelerate our understanding of the European market, an important requisite to help determine commercialization."
Corning developed the Air Purification Filter (APF) to address concerns expressed by the European Commission (EU) over health risks associated with poor air quality. The EU anticipates the average life expectancy to decrease by 8.6 months due to exposure to particulate matter in the air resulting from human activity.
Particulate matter (PM) is defined as microscopic solid and liquid particles – such as organic compounds, metals, dust, pollen, and mold – suspended in the air. Due to its small size, PM can be easily inhaled by humans and lead to health concerns like asthma, lung cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory disease, among other negative health outcomes.