Pi Green Innovations | Filterless Emission Control Technology

Pi Green Innovations | Filterless Emission Control Technology

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 13 – Climate Action, SDG 3 – Good Health and Well Being

Company Overview

Pi Green Innovations Pvt. Ltd. is a Pune based cleantech company that develops retrofit and ambient air treatment devices to reduce particulate matter (PM2.5 to PM10) emissions. The company’s technology, referred to as a “filterless” system, was originally conceived by co-founder Rizwan Shaikh and later commercialized with co-founders Irfan Pathan and Shantanu Sonaikar.

The idea began in 2016 when Shaikh built a prototype device that converted vehicle exhaust smoke into powder form. The founders subsequently formalized the business and filed their first patent in 2017, with the private limited entity incorporated in 2019. The company now operates from a manufacturing facility in Chakan, Pune, employing over 100 people.

Pi Green’s product line includes the Carbon Cutter, a retrofit device for diesel generators and heavy vehicles, and RepAir, an ambient air purification tower for public spaces. The company later introduced the Net Zero Machine, designed to capture industrial emissions and convert them into construction materials. The underlying filterless technology has been granted patents in more than 30 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, China, Japan and Singapore.

The company has worked with automotive and industrial manufacturers on retrofit deployments and, more recently, entered the digital carbon measurement and verification space through a 2026 partnership with a Swiss carbon technology firm. Pi Green Innovations continues to operate as a privately held company backed by institutional and angel investors.

Why These SDGs Matter

Pi Green Innovations’ work is directly relevant to several Sustainable Development Goals. Its emission-reduction devices target airborne particulate matter that is directly linked to respiratory and cardiovascular illness, connecting its work to SDG 3, Good Health and Well-Being. Its ambient air purification towers and retrofit devices are deployed in urban and public settings, supporting SDG 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities, by addressing localized air quality in dense population centers. The company’s approach of converting captured particulate soot into reusable material, such as ink, paint or construction inputs, aligns with SDG 12, Responsible Consumption and Production, by reducing waste from the pollution-capture process itself. Finally, its core mission of reducing particulate and carbon emissions from vehicles, generators, and industrial sources connects the company to SDG 13, Climate Action.

Products & Services
  • Carbon Cutter retrofit devices for diesel generators
  • Carbon Cutter retrofit devices for heavy vehicles
  • RepAir ambient air purification towers for public spaces
  • Net Zero Machine for industrial emission capture and conversion
  • Retrofit devices for industrial boilers and incinerators
  • Emission reduction devices for jaggery processing units and brick kilns
  • Digital carbon capture measurement and verification services
  • Installation, deployment and maintenance support
Business Challenges Solved
  • High particulate matter emissions from diesel generators and heavy vehicles
  • Compliance with Retrofit Emission Control Device regulations in India
  • High maintenance costs and downtime associated with filter-based pollution control systems
  • Localized air pollution in dense urban public spaces
  • Limited measurement and verification infrastructure for carbon capture claims
  • Emission control for hard-to-regulate sources such as jaggery units, crematoriums and brick kilns
Approach & Methodology

Pi Green Innovations’ core methodology centers on a patented filterless mechanism that captures particulate matter through an electrostatic and self-cleaning design, avoiding the consumable filters and water-based scrubbing used in conventional pollution control equipment. The company’s devices use a self-cleaning design modification to an electrostatic precipitation approach, which reduces the physical footprint typically required for such systems and lowers the downtime associated with manual cleaning or filter replacement.

Captured particulate matter is converted into a solid soot by-product that can be repurposed into materials such as ink or paint, rather than being disposed of as waste. Products undergo testing through recognized technical bodies, including efficiency testing with the Automotive Research Association of India for vehicle and genset retrofits, and testing with SGS India for ambient air purification performance.

The company’s Net Zero Machine extends this approach to industrial-scale emissions, converting captured material into inputs for construction materials. In 2026, Pi Green expanded its methodology into digital infrastructure through a partnership to implement digital Measurement, Reporting and Verification systems for carbon capture and utilization, aimed at making emission-reduction outcomes independently verifiable for clients operating under compliance or voluntary carbon frameworks.

Market Position

Pi Green Innovations operates in India’s emission-control and air purification equipment market, primarily serving industrial operators, vehicle and generator OEMs, and government bodies addressing urban air quality. Its customer base has included large industrial manufacturers and diesel engine OEMs. The company positions its filterless design as a maintenance-cost differentiator compared with conventional filter-based or water-scrubbing pollution control systems, since it avoids recurring filter replacement. It competes with other Indian air pollution control technology providers addressing similar retrofit and ambient air segments.

Procurement Considerations
  • Verify retrofit compatibility with existing generator or vehicle engine specifications
  • Confirm current regulatory type-approval status for the applicable emission compliance category
  • Assess installation and integration requirements with existing exhaust infrastructure
  • Compare maintenance intervals and operating costs against filter-based alternatives
  • Evaluate the measurement and verification protocol used to substantiate emission reduction claims
  • Confirm service and technical support availability in the deployment region
  • Clarify handling and reuse arrangements for captured soot by-product
Funding, Recognition & Ecosystem
  • Series A funding round led by Opus Investments, reported at over $4.5 million (2021)
  • Investment participation from PDEU Innovation and Incubation Centre
  • Finalist recognition at Smogathon 2018, Poland
  • WWF India “Climate Solver” recognition, 2019
  • UNDP Clean Air Challenge award recipient
  • India Clean Air Challenge award, 2022
  • 2026 technology partnership with EcoGuard Global AG for digital carbon measurement, reporting and verification systems
Natnavi Analysis

Pi Green Innovations occupies a specific niche within India’s emission-control landscape: retrofit devices for legacy diesel generators and vehicles that cannot otherwise be replaced quickly given the scale of existing equipment in operation. Its filterless design responds to a genuine operational pain point in conventional pollution control, the maintenance burden of consumable filters and water-based scrubbing systems, and the company has secured patent protection for this approach across a large number of jurisdictions.

The company’s growth from a small founding team to a Pune-based manufacturing operation with over a hundred employees, combined with institutional Series A funding, suggests a credible commercial trajectory within a market that remains fragmented. Its 2026 move into digital carbon measurement and verification signals an attempt to extend beyond hardware into the broader carbon accounting ecosystem, though this initiative is recent and its outcomes are not yet established.

Limitations for procurement evaluation include the absence of independently verified international certifications and limited third-party technical validation beyond the testing bodies the company has cited. As with many hardware-based cleantech providers, buyers should independently confirm regulatory approvals relevant to their jurisdiction before deployment.

Sources & References
Founded: 2019
Company Stage: Growth-Stage Company
Headquarters
Pune, Maharashtra, India
Geographic Presence
Pi Green Innovations is based in Pune, India, with installations reported across Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and the Delhi-NCR region. Its filterless technology holds patents in more than 30 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, China, Japan and Singapore. The company has piloted products in London and, through a 2026 partnership, is extending its carbon measurement and verification services to international markets.
Solution Type
Equipment Supplier, Manufacturer, Technology Provider
Sustainability Outcomes
Air Quality Improvement, Carbon Reduction, Circular Economy, Resource Efficiency
Industries Served
Agriculture & Food, Automotive & Electric Mobility, Construction & Real Estate, Energy & Utilities, Government & Public Sector, Manufacturing
Last Reviewed: July 30, 2026

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