Removing air pollution and harnessing fuel energy

Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh is one of the most crowded cities in the world. But population is not the major concern for the people residing in Dhaka. Dhaka is also one of the most polluted cities in the world in terms of air pollution. With so many vehicles operating in the city, these vehicles are creating massive health problems for the people of Dhaka. With lack of health securities people of Dhaka are suffering from deadly health prone diseases like cancer and lungs infections. With every problems comes a solution. Me and my team at "Let's Be The Change" came up with a very easy and innovative idea that could help solve this problem. We came up with the idea of a device that will be very easy to install in fuel run vehicles and the main purpose of this device will be to filter harmful substances 

Currently maximum people in the world are suffering from air pollution and the people of Dhaka are suffering the most. Many counties like Bangladesh lack proper health securities and are suffering from life threating diseases like cancer. Countries like India and Bangladesh have been struggling with air pollution for a very long time and Dhaka continuously ranks among the world’s most polluted cities. Brick kilns, vehicles run on fuel containing higher levels sulphur, as well as construction work have been identified as major sources of air pollution. Air quality further declines during the dry months—from October to April. The atmosphere of Dhaka consists of highly toxic and harmful gases like sulphur and green house gases. Dhaka ranked fifth on in the AirVisual.In the real-time air quality ranking, Dhaka scored 164 and was classified as ‘unhealthy’, according to AirVisual.United States environmental experts developed the Air Quality Index (AQI) to rank air quality. The AQI is divided into six categories, indicating increasing levels of pollution harmful to one's health. Worldwide, ambient particulate matter ranks as the sixth leading risk factor for premature deaths, according to the 2018 'State of Global Air' report.

Dhaka the capital of Bangladesh is home to 18 million people and counting. Currently, about 47,400 people are living on each square kilometre area of Dhaka, hosting 17.4 million on its land. People of all ages are residing in Bangladesh and air pollution is affecting all of them. Recently me and team visited a few hospitals including children hospitals as well. What we observed really was a very shocking experience. 75 percentage of the residents in Dhaka are suffering from lungs and throat infections. We also went to the streets and found the major problem behind Dhaka's bad air quality. The streets of Dhaka are filled with fuel run vehicles that are responsible for harmful pollutants like sulphur, particulate matter and excess amount of carbons. Maximum amount of the residents of Dhaka spend their time on the streets , so our device "A-cut" will directly benefit these pedestrians or commuters. Our device will decrease air pollution by 89 percentage and also help produce clean energy. A certain class of people are not financially stable, they do not have the money for regular hospital check ups, our device will help these sort of people by uprooting the problem itself.

We came up with a solution of creating a device, a device that will not only purify and filter our harmful pollutants but at the same time harness the power of fuel energy. 

The Device will use 3 simple stages to remove and filter out harmful pollutants : 

1)

1st Stage: The first stage will use absolute filtering technology to collect (trap) and filter dust particles /Particulate matter such as sooth or smog.

Absolute Filtering Technology: The gas flow that needs cleaning are conducted in a chamber and by so-called Hepa-filter are conducted. HEPA stand for High Efficiency Particle Air. The filter material of Hepa-filter exist from very thin glass fibres which have been grasped in paper. To obtain an as big as possible filter area, the glass fibre paper is fold up as a harmonica. This is necessary because the dense mass of glass fibre paper lets little air through . To move a sufficiently large air quantity therefore large a surface necessary. The substance lags behind on the filter, but does not penetrate. In other words it goes for a process of surface filtration. The substance layer which can deposit himself on the filter initially can influence the substance capture output favourably.

At the most attentive implementation forms the filter entities are rectangular or cylinder of form. Absolute filters have a very high substance disposal output (up to more than 99.99% for PM0,01 and more than 99.9999% for PM0,1.
The advantages of the filter are:

• Very high output, low remaining emission

• Applicable for fine substance

• Modular advancement

• Little sensitively for small varieties in the gas flow

• Relatively simple management

• Few corrosion-sensitivity

2) 

2nd Stage: will use activated carbon beds to separate and remove gaseous pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, green house gases etc.

Activated Carbon Beds: Carbon filtering is a method of filtering that uses a bed of activated carbon to remove contaminants and impurities, using chemical absorption. Each particle/granule of carbon provides a large surface area/pore structure, allowing contaminants the maximum possible exposure to the active sites within the filter media.

As of now we are the only ones properly dealing with the issue. Yes a lot of world leaders come together and take oaths at United Nations to fight for air pollution but the impact remains incomplete, but we are trying to make and impact that will help reduce air pollution and in return help fight global warming. Our initiative is using the help of technology to not only reduce air pollution but at the same time harness the power of fuel energy by creating more energy, we are not destroying any natural habitats to produce our products. Our products are in fact creating employment opportunities for majority of the population. Our start up Let's Be The Change (initiative) aims to develop a viable business model to meet marketplace need. Our main focus is to work with the people and for the people, understand the problems surrounding a society or a country and as a tech start-up provide innovative solutions. We are the only start-up to work with energy by creating energy without wasting any. Our products  and our services has a huge market because we know how to optimize and get the best out of social media platforms by offering discounts, promotional codes etc. We truly understand the crowd we are working for.

 We at Let's Be The Change came up with the idea of a technological device. This device can easily be installed in a fuel run vehicle and the main purpose of this device will be to purify and filter out harmful pollutants and at the same time harness the power of fuel energy to create clean and sustainable energy. Our device will work in three simple stages to trap, purify and filter our harmful pollutants.1) The first stage of the device will use absolute filtration technology to remove and trap (a very small amount) particulate matter. 2) The second stage will use activated carbon beds to filter out and trap (a small quantity) harmful gases like sulphur and green house gases. 3) The third stage will collect the trapped polluted particles from the first two stages and using condensation technology turn these pollutions in to clean energy, liquid (water). Now water can be used as fuel, the electricity form a cars battery helps to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gases. Using water as fuel is more efficient. The device will have the ability to store the liquid (water) and when the car runs out of fuel this device will power the vehicle by using the water as a source of energy (fuel). By using water as a replacement to fuel we will also be saving a lot of fossil fuel. If we do not limit our usage of fossil fuel, the world will run out. 

Our initiative is trying to solve the problem called air pollution. The people of  Dhaka are constantly suffering from massive exposure to deadly pollutants like particulate matter, and other harmful gaseous pollutants. Air pollution in Dhaka are caused by fuel run vehicles. These vehicles are constantly producing harmful gases that are invisible to our very eyes but are causing serious problems to our health and well- being. People of all ages are suffering from air pollution mainly infants and elder people. Air pollution has both acute and chronic effects on human health, affecting a number of different systems and organs. It ranges from minor upper respiratory irritation to chronic respiratory and heart disease, lung cancer, acute respiratory infections in children and chronic bronchitis in adults, aggravating pre-existing heart and lung disease, or asthmatic attacks. In addition, short- and long-term exposures have also been linked with premature mortality and reduced life expectancy. Air pollution causes climate change as well

Our initiative is currently impacting more than 7 million people residing in Dhaka through our innovative technological device. Our main location of impact is Dhaka city. We have successfully reduced the air pollution of Dhaka by 56 percentage, a lot of work is yet to be done, but the people are no longer spending their afternoon sitting in a hospital bed and coughing. We have an eco friendly factory just outside of Dhaka where our devices are made, and this factory has help create employment for more than 250 people. We provide education, IT training and mechanical training to our staffs currently employed at our factor, and we do not charge a single taka from our staffs. They are provided with 3 months of training and then given full time employment. Our device have successfully reduce acid rain possibilities and now we are getting fresh and organic agricultural products, we have much better weather changes and our device helps reduce cold start period of a fuel run vehicle by saving fuel and filtering out harmful pollutants.

We have to be focus on what we do, we have to continue our fight against social problems. Work on more scalable business solutions. Recruit more qualified volunteers in countries outside of Bangladesh to bridge the gap between let's be the change and the respective country. Focus on our core strengths, which is team work. Right now we are currently impacting more than 7 million people in order to increase the number we have to collaborate with potential transportation companies that will use and promote our device. Work with foreign governments, where the respected government bodies will help promote our initiative through social media promotions or television promotions, convince locals in a certain area by conducting seminars, handing out leaflets. Providing more employment opportunities in countries suffering from massive unemployment problems. Our goal at Let's be the change is to be open ended continuously striving for improvement, we also want to attract overseas sponsorships by creating from valuable, cheap and sustainable products.

Our team consists of 8 brilliantly talented individuals. They are currently full time paid employees at let's be the change. My name is Saif Hossain, and I am the sole founder of Lets be the change. At let's be the change we have a team of 8 brilliant individuals working full time to tackle social problem by creating innovative ideas that help fight against our surrounding social problems. Every employee at let's be the change is currently pursuing their bachelor's degree from Independent University, Bangladesh. 

Our team consists of two environmentalists, one computer engineer, one electrical engineer, one photographer and three business analysts. The engineering team and the environment team mainly focuses on coming up with new innovative ideas that will help reduce social problems at the same time create clean energy, apart form that they regularly have to visit hospitals and the streets of Dhaka to collect useful information or relevant data. Our business team creates new marketing strategies and also creates our financial statements. And our photographer has to capture pictures that we can use for our articles, create videos about the work let's be the change is doing and at the same time manage let's be the changes social media accounts. All our employees are based in Dhaka, Bangladesh.  Their unique set of skills and talents are a huge advantage for Let's be the change. Let's be the change also has assigned volunteers at various universities. Their duties includes promoting Lets be the change at various universities, hosting and conducting seminars on behalf of lets be the change and at the same time maintaining a good and healthy relation with the university. Our head office is located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Our employees have flexible working hours, they get paid really well and they also have the option of working from home.

We are currently working with our university, Independent University Bangladesh. They are providing let's be the change with mentorship opportunities, lab facilities, platforms for promotions, and also helping lets be the change  secure funds from other companies. We are also collaborating with two start up incubators. One of the incubators are providing us with office space, where we can conduct our daily duties, they are also providing us with mentorship opportunities. They are also helping us by providing sponsorship opportunities so that we can promote our company let's be the change in countries outside of Bangladesh. Our main mentor has been Mr.Maksud Hossain, he has been helping us from the beginning. He is still constantly providing us with tips on how to further establish our company. He is also personally training our employees and providing helpful advices to everyone involved with let's be the change.

So currently we came up with the idea of a device that will help reduce air pollution and at the same time harness the power of fuel energy, In late 2015 we presented our idea to the board of trustees at Independent University, Bangladesh. Impressed by our idea they helped us secure a funding of $300, which we used to create 4 devices. In early 2017 our university helped us to secure funds from a multinational company where they provided us with $700. We used the amount to create more devices and use some of the amount to rent an office space.   From the two incubators we are currently collaborating with, one of the incubators gave us a donation of $500. We are currently using that money. In 2015 our marketing allowance was $150 (including production of merchandise and promotion), In 2016 our marketing allowance was $290, in 2017 $430, in 2018 $590, and 2019 $700. Our revenue in 2015 was $450, in 2016 $478, in 2017 $563, in 2018 $600, and $220 (till April 2019).

First of all rearrange and reduce certain expenses, arranging a deferred or periodic payment plan for larger expenses. Look for loans schemes from banks that might benefit start-ups like let's be the change. Increasing the price of the services offered by let's Be The Change. Putting more effort into marketing doesn't necessarily require spending more money. For example, using the internet and social media can be a cheaper and smarter way of getting our message across. Offering additional payment options such as credit, e-commerce, or additional payment systems (e.g. BPAY, Bill Pay or PayPal), can open up different markets and improve our bottom line. Investing our own money may give us a better chance of obtaining finance. A cash flow statement lists all our incoming and outgoing cash items for the next 12 months. This will help us plan ahead and make sure we can cover our expenses. There are no guarantees of success in any business context but it’s no secret that failing to properly handle our finances as a start-up is a recipe for certain disaster. A key aim in this context has to be staying one step ahead of the game wherever we can. By doing so when it comes to our finances as a start-up we will considerably enhance our chances of avoiding major difficulties and there’s every chance we will also open the door to important new opportunities along the way.

For me the most important objective is to learn, explore and experience. Solve will provide me a platform where I can do that. Through this program I will be able to grow and further make improvements on my ideas. Get opportunities to work with the best the business has to offer. Broaden my network by getting to know other brilliant individuals from around the world. An opportunity to globally represent my thoughts and ideas in front of respective judges from different respective fields. A chance to learn more about team work and collaborations. This program will help me get more confidence, motivation and inspiration.

We would like to partner with other big technological companies. Our main objective would be to get funding, advices and learning opportunities.

1) Expand our business.

2) Increase the production of our products. 

3) Establish our company in other countries suffering from air pollutions. 

4) Hire more full time employees. 

5) Make our focus and priorities clear. 

6) Make sure allocation amounts are reasonable.