Golden Chen’s mission began in 2011, at the height of China’s air pollution crisis. This was the year the term ‘airpocalypse’ made headlines around the world, and photos of smog-smothered megacities such as Beijing and Shanghai symbolized the deadly consequences of rapid industrial expansion, non-stop traffic and lax environmental regulations. By the early 2010s, pollution levels in the Chinese capital were over 20 times higher than World Health Organization guidelines.
An expert in heating and air conditioning, Mr. Chen was determined to improve air quality for healthy living environment . He was particularly interested in electrostatic air purification, which had been successfully used in industrial settings for decades. However, the limitations of existing electrostatic technology – disposable filters cluttering landfills, unsustainable energy costs from airflow resistance, maintenance challenges – hindered its commercial applications. Electrostatic air purification also produces ozone, a gas that can be harmful in high concentrations. Seeking to overcome these hurdles, Golden Chen founded AirQuality Technology Co., Ltd. in 2011 to reimagine electrostatic purification.
MESP: Innovation anchored in intellectual property
The company’s breakthrough came with the invention of the Micro-Electrostatic Precipitator (MESP). In contrast to traditional air purifiers, which block airborne particles with media filters, MESP uses electrical charges to pull pollutants and pathogens from the air. Not only does this invention eliminate 99.9% of pollutants and pathogens, it does so without producing ozone – a major advance on existing electrostatic air purification technology. The innovative MESP filters also avoids air blockages, which increase inefficiency and waste energy, thereby improving the sustainability of MESP purifiers.
The impressive qualities of MESP fueled a considerable expansion of the Shanghai-based company. Today, 14 years after its founding, AirQuality Technology has over 100 staff working in offices in cities across China, including an 8,000 m2 research and development department in Shanghai. Its MESP air purifiers have been sold throughout China and internationally – from including Beijing’s Daxing Airport in China to Hotels in NewYork US, from Banks in South Africa to commercial buildings in Australia. Homes, schools and hotels also benefit from clean air thanks to AirQuality Technology’s purifiers. Industry recognition, including the China Little Giant Enterprises,APAC Cleantech Top 10 and Global Cleantech 100, underscores the company’s technological leadership.
Intellectual Property Management Clinic
With technological innovation at its heart, Golden Chen and his team understood the importance of intellectual property (IP) protection early in the company’s development. The company has built up an extensive IP portfolio, with over 100 patents filed globally, as well as copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets. The patents protect core technologies, such as electrode design and voltage control systems, whereas copyrights and trademarks protect the company’s brand and identify, including its name and logo. Taken as a whole, AirQuality Technology’s IP portfolio acts as an “intellectual shield” that not only secures market exclusivity for its unique MESP air purifiers but also empowers global expansion. “Our patents are more than legal tools,” Mr. Chen emphasizes. “They ensure our innovations reach those who need them most, unhindered by imitation.”
Looking to strengthen its IP portfolio and strategy, in 2024 AirQuality Technology participated in WIPO’s IP Management Clinic (IPMC), implemented by Bluetech Clean Air Alliance. The IPMC is a long-running program providing small and medium-sized enterprises with free professional IP advice to help them safeguard their property and maximize their potential, both at home and overseas. AirQuality Technology was paired with Mr. Wei Lin, an attorney at Beijing Docvit Law Firm. Mr. Lin applied his extensive legal expertise in IP to provide one-on-one guidance and produce a comprehensive intellectual property strategic analysis report. In it, Mr. Lin reviewed AirQuality Technology’s current intellectual property strategy, addressed the company’s questions concerning IP and offered recommendations to further strengthen its IP management practices.
Clean air as a universal right
Equipped with the expert support and advice from Mr. Lin and the IPMC, AirQuality Technology is continuing to pursue innovative ways to advance MESP’s capabilities from its Shanghai research and development hub. Future applications for the technology may include high-risk or ultra-clean environments such as those used by pharmaceutical production and semiconductor processing.
By merging patented innovation with environmental stewardship, AirQuality Technology has transformed a decades-old technology, opening up new solutions and opportunities. Each protected advancement accelerates Mr. Chen’s vision, sparked back in 2011: a world where clean air transcends privilege and postcode, becoming a reality for all. Thankfully, Mr. Chen’s work is now part of a larger trend: after widespread smog in 2011 and 2012, the Chinese government launched an ambitious plan to reduce the country’s air pollution levels. Today, China is home to the fastest air quality improvement in the world – a remarkable turnaround in little over a decade. As AirQuality Technology pioneers new frontiers in air purification, it will continue to play its part in this vital mission, both in China and around the world.
