From bunkers to industries: Scaling air purification beyond shelters

IBT interacted with Maj Gen Dr Shri Pal, VSM (Retd), Managing Director of BUNKERMAN Global Solutions Pvt Ltd, to understand how a military-grade air purification system is now redefining indoor air safety for industrial, urban, and strategic settings. Drawing from his expertise in Nuclear Protection Systems, Dr Pal explains how an indigenous, scalable, and AI-integrated solution—originally built for sealed survival environments—is now finding critical application in factories, data centers, hospitals, and even space-constrained smart cities.

IBT: What market gaps led you to build this system? Was it a personal insight or future risk scenario?

Dr. Shri Pal: BUNKERMAN Technology was born out of both personal insight and an urgent recognition of future risk. As a former military engineer and expert in Nuclear Protection Systems, Maj Gen Dr Shri Pal VSM (Retd), we foresaw the rising dangers of air pollution, CO₂ buildup, and chemical threats—especially in enclosed spaces and  critical infrastructure. The lack of an affordable, indigenous, and scalable Indoor Air Quality Management System in India presented a clear gap, which BUNKERMAN innovated and designed to fill with an integrated, life-supporting and sustainable solution.

IBT: What engineering challenge was the toughest when building an end-to-end life-support system?

Dr. Shri Pal: The greatest engineering challenge was designing a multi-layered air purification and life-support architecture that could absorb the harmful pollutants, regulate oxygen, and maintain positive pressure—all within one unified system. Balancing energy efficiency, durability, and real-time sensor integration without depending on imported components was a technical feat we overcame through indigenous R&D and cross-disciplinary innovation.

IBT: How does the system coordinate between air purification, oxygen management, and environmental monitoring—and what makes that integration reliable under pressure?

Dr. Shri Pal: Our device uses an AI-enhanced microcontroller-based architecture that continuously monitors CO₂, PM2.5, PM10, VOCs, O₂ levels, and other environmental parameters. Based on real-time feedback, the system automatically adjusts its filtration requirement control, oxygen replenishment control, and positive pressure controls. Its modular fail-safe logic and redundancy circuits ensure consistent operation, even under pressure or external threat scenarios.

IBT: Has the technology been stress-tested in actual sealed environments or critical situations? What did you learn from those deployments?

Dr. Shri Pal: Yes, the technology has been stress-tested in actual sealed environments and simulated critical conditions. The systems have been practically operational in near-sealed conditions for over a year at Guwahati Refinery of Indian Oil Corporation Limited at Guwahati (Assam) in India. Also the systems installed at BUNKERMAN HOUSE in New Delhi and with a large number of customers throughout India, have been satisfactorily working over the past one year now under the real ground conditions. The recorded data collected from these sites has shown extremely satisfactory results. It is learnt that the filters installed originally with the equipment shall last for a period of more than one year without replacement. These deployments validated the durability, low maintenance demand, and pollutant-to-manure conversion efficiency of the system—even under high humidity and high pollutant load conditions.

IBT: What kind of maintenance or user interaction does it realistically require over weeks or months in a closed setting?

Dr. Shri Pal: Our Systems require minimal user interaction. Its filters are designed to last for 6 to 12 months of continuous use, depending on the pollution load and site conditions. The device collects feedback from users on quarterly basis and send their inspection teams to users at site whenever required. A simple mobile dashboard or onboard display alerts the users if manual intervention is needed. The system is plug-and-play type with auto-calibration for atmospheric balance. The replacement of filters is done by the technical team after one year or as and when required by the users as per terms and conditions on the contract/ supply order.

IBT: In case of system failure like power outage or filter degradation, what fail-safes or redundancies are built in?

Dr. Shri Pal: In case of power outage, Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) with Battery Backup is supplied to the users as per their demands. Filters do not generally degrade before the scheduled time for which these are tested. However, some spare filters may be kept by the users to be used as spare/redundancies in case of any such eventuality. In addition, the system also includes Overpressure Relief Valves to prevent structural compromise, Filter Life Monitoring Algorithms with predictive alerts, Manual Ventilation Override and Oxygen Surge Canister Modules for emergent air quality stabilization, if required. These provisions ensure that even during sudden failures of any system due to unforeseen reasons, critical air quality is sustained.

IBT: Beyond bunkers and shelters, do you see this being scaled or adapted for industrial settings perhaps to help reduce atmospheric CO₂ in factories, ships, or even indoor farming?

Dr. Shri Pal: Absolutely. Our Technology and Systems are already being adopted in: refineries and chemical plants (e.g., IOCL), data centers and server rooms, shopping malls, administrative air conditioned buildings, ships and ports for maritime air quality compliance, indoor farming, hospitals, hotels, shopping malls, chemical laboratories, clean rooms etc. Its ability to absorb CO₂ and other pollutants and also to convert pollutants into Mineral Rich Organic Manure (MROM) makes it especially valuable for industries and establishments pursuing Net Zero and ESG mandates.

IBT: How versatile is the platform? Could it be reconfigured for submarines, space modules, or zero-energy buildings?

Dr. Shri Pal: Our device is modular by design, making it reconfigurable for: Submarines, Space Modules (with oxygen recycling upgrades), passive homes and zero-energy buildings. Future R&D phases include integration with renewable power sources and atmospheric water generators, making it suitable for off-grid and extraterrestrial environments.

IBT: What kind of users or sectors are beginning to show interest and where do you see the adoption curve heading in the next five years?

Dr. Shri Pal: Current interest is strong from: Refineries & Petrochemical Industries, smart cities & government buildings, semiconductor manufacturing, testing and assembly industries, hospitals & pharmaceuticals, star rated hotels, shopping malls, disaster shelters & strategic defence installations. In the next five years, we anticipate mass adoption of BUNKERMAN Systems in public infrastructure, defense, and ESG-compliant industries, especially as air quality norms become more stringent globally.

IBT: For people who downplay CO₂ buildup indoors, how do you approach that skepticism—and help them understand the urgency of air management?

Dr. Shri Pal: We present scientific data and real-time sensor results to demonstrate how indoor CO₂ levels—even above 600 ppm—impact cognitive performance, fatigue, and long-term health. Skeptics are shown direct comparisons between BUNKERMAN-treated environments and untreated zones, often leading to immediate shifts in perception. Air is invisible—but its quality directly affects every breath, every decision, and ultimately, every life. We are also conducting BUNKERMAN Awareness Programme at BUNKERMAN HOUSE in New Delhi where practical classes are conducted offline and online for persons from common public and Government organisations to spread awareness and education about BUNKERMAN Technology to mitigate Rising Pollution, Global Warming & Climate Change. This drive has made a big positive impact on public to understand, appreciate and adopt this indigenous technology in India.

 

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Maj Gen Dr Shri Pal, VSM (Retd) is a pioneering expert in Nuclear Protection Technology and the founder of BUNKERMAN Global Solutions. A civil engineering graduate from the University of Roorkee with a PhD in Nuclear Blast-Resistant Structures, he is widely regarded as the Father of Nuclear Protection Technology in India. Over a distinguished career in the Indian Army Corps of Engineers and later as a government consultant, he led the design of India’s first nuclear-hardened bunkers and contributed to several strategic NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) protection projects.

Post-retirement, Dr Pal has focused on scalable, indigenous air purification and disaster-resilient systems. His innovations now serve industrial, public, and defence sectors in tackling pollution, CO₂ buildup, and climate-linked risks. He has published over 50 technical papers and received multiple national and international honors, including the Vishisht Seva Medal and the Asian Excellence Award 2023.