Korean startup Khanfilter develops system to filter out pollutants from restaurant emissions

Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), an air pollutant, is a matter of grave concern for public health. As per a study, nearly 3.3 million people are dying every year because of PM 2.5. While one of the biggest air pollutants are gases emitted by vehicles, another major pollution creator is gases released from restaurants. Korean startup Khanfilter is a company established to solve the problem of secondary pollutants emitted by restaurants by installing KRAF (Khanfilter Regenerative Air Filter), a dust-reducing device.

Easy to install, maintain and low cost

In the US, restaurants are one of the largest sources of PM release. Every day about 285 tonnes of PM is released from 70,000 restaurants. The pollution emissions require the restaurant owner to create methods to filter out PM, which is quite a costly and a high maintenance matter. But Khanfilter has developed a user-friendly product that solves problems of generations of secondary pollutants (wastewater, waste filter). The device uses a porous ceramic filter and catalyst, which resolves the maintenance problems in the existing dust collecting devices.

Based on DPF (Diesel Particulate Filters) technology, the innovative filter system for restaurants’ cooking emission gas requires no filter exchanges or cleanup. Khanfilter’s Regenerative Air Filter boasts of unique ability to clean itself. It can last over 10 years with no part change, clean-up or special maintenance.  Also, the system involves simple installation by cutting a part of the restaurant’s duct and inserting the filter system.

The cost of the prototype of the Khanfilter device has been put as $30,000 per unit as per the demands by the CA state government in the USA.  

Setting foot in the USA for sales

Khanfilter was launched in 2015, with its major product being the restaurant emission filter. The startup has teams in South Korea and the USA working to develop and market the product. Khanfilter expects to enter the pre-regulation market in the USA in 2019 and eventually sell the device in a regulated market nationwide. The firm expects $3.5 million in sales in 2019 and to cross $1 billion in sales by 2025. In the near future, the company wants to raise $2 million to invest in building the pilot installation and hiring a sales team. Khanfilter hopes to work with many franchise fast-food chains in the USA such as Burger King, Habit Burger, Baja Fresh, etc.