Turning Delhi's Diesel Soot Into Ink

Founded in 2016 by a team of IIT Delhi engineers, Chakr Innovation manufactures the Chakr Shield, a retrofit device that attaches to diesel generator exhaust pipes and traps particulate matter before it reaches the air. The captured soot, made mostly of carbon black, is processed and blended into pigments used to manufacture printing ink and paint, closing the loop on a major source of urban air pollution in Delhi's National Capital Region. The device captures up to 90% of particulate matter emissions from a generator and has been deployed across dozens of sites including offices, malls, and telecom towers around Delhi NCR.