OxyGenHome: A Techno-Economic Feasibility Study of a Smart Microalgae-Based Indoor Air Purification System for the Egyptian Mass Market
Techno-Economic Analysis of Algae-Based Air Purification with AI and IoT Integration
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/SJCMS2026.1.1.27Keywords:
OxyGenHome Microalgae Photobioreactor Indoor Air Quality Circular Economy Chlorella vulgaris Techno-Economic Analysis Green Innovation Egyptian Market AI-Powered Purification CO₂ Fixation Sustainable TechnologyAbstract
This study presents a techno-economic feasibility assessment of OxyGenHome, a novel Egypt-specific integrated concept for residential indoor air purification that combines microalgae photobioreactor technology with artificial intelligence (AI) monitoring and Internet-of-Things (IoT) sensing. Field observations across 50 residential units in Greater Cairo and Beni-Suef in June 2026 recorded CO₂ concentrations ranging between 900 and 1,200 ppm, substantially exceeding the ASHRAE ventilation guideline of 400-600 ppm. The proposed system employs Chlorella vulgaris in a 10-15-litre photobioreactor, achieving CO₂ absorption of 40-80 g/day and O₂ production of 30-60 L/day through computational estimation. The techno-economic model, constructed at USD/EGP 51.8, indicates conditional commercial viability with a net profit of EGP 597,500 in the baseline scenario (500 units/year, EGP 7,000 price, EGP 3,780 optimised COGS). Break-even is estimated at approximately 385 units per year with a payback period of 2.1 years. The study concludes with a recommendation for a 50-unit controlled beta pilot in Q3 2026 to validate prototype and computational-estimation performance.
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