On October 26, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the winners of its Cleaner Indoor Air During Wildfires Challenge. The honorable mention awardees include Metalmark Clean Air Device, “[a] device that uses a novel nanomaterial coating on a filter to enable destruction of captured particulate matter [(PM)] when the filter is heated to high temperature.” EPA states that Metalmark indicates that its initial testing in a small chamber using cigarette smoke resulted in “steep reductions in PM concentrations within 20 minutes, without the creation of byproducts such as ozone or volatile organic compounds.” The technology also removes volatile organic compounds (VOC) carried with smoke. According to EPA, Metalmark Innovations, Inc. is currently building and testing larger prototypes for commercial buildings, while further development is needed for a residential-sized solution. The materials cost of the proposed solution is estimated at $100 per unit.

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