French inventor develops new air purifier after daughter’s asthma attack
Particles in the air attach themselves to ionised air from the machine causing them to fall to the ground
Inventor Pierre Guitton with the T200 air purifier, which sells for €375
Teqoya
A French academic has been inspired by his daughter’s asthma to invent a new kind of air purifier that does not produce ozone.
After two years of research, Pierre Guitton found a way of ionising air and quickly realised his invention, which he patented globally, could become the basis for a business.
Since starting his company, called Teqoya, in 2015 he has sold around 40,000 units of his star model, the T200.
Particles in the air attach themselves to ionised air from the machine, causing them to fall to the ground where they can be swept or vacuumed up.
“We are always trying to improve and our new models include a small, quiet fan which attracts most of the particles to a filter,” Leli Laghouate, deputy CEO of the firm, told The Connexion.
The company has a design workshop employing five people in the Bordeaux suburb of Villandraut, and the machines are assembled by sub-contractors in Angers (Maine-et-Loire) and in the Basque Country.
Selling for €375, the T200 is designed for bedrooms – there are also more expensive models for larger rooms, and a small model for cars.
Ms Laghouate said 60% of the purifiers are sold overseas, mainly in China, which is also the leading market for ozone-producing purifiers.
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Air purifiers in yoga studios
“But interest is growing in France too, not only from people who have health conditions such as asthma,” she said.
“We have noticed recently that a fair number of our sales have been to yoga and pilates studios.”
French authorities are sceptical about the use of air purifiers. Health and safety body Anses recommends that people open windows in their homes instead.
Mr Guitton counters that even with well-ventilated homes, the benefits of using his air purifiers are felt by people with conditions such as asthma.
Tekoya’s models with a filter are aimed mainly at small workshops, such as carpenters’ shops or bakeries where there is a lot of dust.
The company has also started a partnership with a Lyon-based air-conditioning company called Aldes, which means the technology can be included in air-conditioning systems when buildings are built, or retrofitted.
