Indian engineers invent a device that recycles diesel exhaust to ink
Diesel exhaust is one of the major pollutants in Indian countries. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) has listed India as one of the 15 countries with the worst air pollution, with smog levels flourishing at their peak during summers.
According to the Indian government, the pollution is caused by diesel generators which are used to offset power shortages. During summer, at least 75 percent of the population use diesel generators to power up appliances such as air-conditioners and fans thereby belching black smoke into the air.
However, a team of Indian engineers from Chkr Innovation Private Limited in New Delhi has found the first-ever device that captures diesel exhaust and turns it into an ink. The device is designed to reduce at least 90 percent carbon-monoxide emission in the atmosphere caused by diesel-powered generators.
According to Arpit Dhupar, one of the three engineers who developed the technology, “the
device will help reduce pollution in major cities in India such as New Delhi, within a shorter time-frame.”When asked about the efficiency of diesel as ink, the team said that the ink product has already been used in many companies such as their own to print texts on mugs.
How does the device work?
Engr. Dhupar explained that the device will be attached to the generators to capture the 
dust particles from the cooled diesel exhaust. Once the soot particles are accumulated into the device, they are sold in manufacturers who process them to become ink.
The Chkr Innovation has successfully installed 53 devices in government offices and real estate firms. One device is also installed in Gurugram, a satellite city of New Delhi. The installation has collected over 500kg of soot, which translates to more than 20, 000 liters of ink.
Another competitor Company, called Graviky Labs, based in the southern city of Bangalore has also explored similar technology. Currently, the company is in the process of recycling soot from diesel exhaust into ink.
A 2015 survey by a US-based Health Effects Institute revealed that at least 100 million people die each year from the effects of pollution, 1.1 million of are attributed to air pollution in India. The Indian mortality rate accounts to at least one-fourth of the total mortality rate in the globe caused by air pollution.
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