After four fully sold out pre-sales, the much-hyped Molekule air purifier has officially launched. Funded not through venture capital or crowdfunding, but rather with grants from the EPA and Department of Defense, Molekule relies on patented Photo Electrochemical Oxidation (PECO) technology to eliminate indoor air pollution on the molecular level. Capable of eliminating pollutants 1,000 times smaller than standard air purifiers, Molekule puts the cleanest air, anywhere, in your own home.
Conventional air purifiers rely on HEPA filters, which were developed as part of the Manhattan Project and haven’t changed much since. Molekule, which retails for $799, first circulates air through a “pre-filter,” which traps larger particles like dust, pollen and dander, but it’s the light-based “nano-filter” that sets in in a league of its own. A UVA-wavelength LED simulates solar light to spark a chemical reaction that breaks down mold, bacteria and chemicals into benign elements (producing, for example, trace amounts of water, carbon dioxide and nitrogen from E.Coli) and disperses pure air through the top of the device.
Guts and interior technologies aside, the Molekule looks good, too. Crafted from machined aluminum with a natural leather handle for easy portability, it almost becomes a design element — minimal, masculine and wholly unobtrusive. An accompanying app allows for machine learning, adapting to individual household needs over time and enabling remote monitoring.