Chakr Innovation: The Indian Cleantech Startup Building Technology to Control Industrial Pollution

How the IIT Delhi-founded startup,Chakr Innovation, is developing emission-control, clean-energy and environmental monitoring solutions for Indian industries?

India’s air pollution problem has created a growing need for technologies that can reduce emissions from industrial operations, diesel generators and construction activities. Gurugram-based Chakr Innovation is addressing these challenges through a portfolio of emission-control equipment, fuel optimisation systems, energy technologies and environmental monitoring solutions.

Founded in 2016 by graduates of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, Chakr Innovation is a cleantech and material science company. Its primary focus is developing technologies that help industries reduce pollution while continuing to use their existing infrastructure. The company’s flagship product, Chakr Shield, is a Retrofit Emission Control Device (RECD) designed for diesel generators. Its wider portfolio now includes solutions for nitrogen oxide reduction, dual-fuel generator operations, aluminium-air energy generation, dust suppression and emissions monitoring.

The company’s origins can be traced to a common source of local air pollution: diesel generator exhaust. Chakr’s founding team identified the soot discharged by diesel generators as a problem that could be addressed through engineering and material science. This led to the development of Chakr Shield, which was launched in 2017. The company subsequently developed additional technologies for industrial and environmental applications.

Chakr Shield remains the centrepiece of its product portfolio. The device is installed in the exhaust system of an existing diesel generator and uses catalyst-based technology to reduce particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC) before they enter the atmosphere. Chakr describes it as India’s first type-approved RECD, with approval through CPCB-recognised testing laboratories. The company claims that the device can reduce these emissions by up to 90%. Its retrofit design allows businesses to address generator emissions without replacing their existing diesel generator sets.

Another product in the company’s emission-control portfolio is Chakr DeNOx. While Chakr Shield targets particulate matter, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons, DeNOx is designed to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from diesel and gas generators. It uses Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology and a proprietary non-platinum-group-metal catalyst. Chakr claims that its DeNOx system can reduce NOx emissions by up to 80%. The product addresses a separate category of pollutants and expands the company’s offering to customers seeking multiple forms of exhaust-emission control.

Chakr Innovation has also developed the Dual Fuel Kit 2.0, a retrofit system that enables diesel generators to operate using a combination of diesel and natural gas. According to the company, the system can substitute up to 70% of diesel with natural gas without modifying the generator’s engine architecture. It uses sensor-based closed-loop control to regulate combustion and is designed to retain the option of operating entirely on diesel when required. Chakr positions the product as a way for businesses to reduce diesel consumption, operating expenses and emissions while continuing to use their existing generator infrastructure.

The company’s energy technology portfolio includes Chakr Al-Air, an aluminium-air activator system. The technology uses recyclable aluminium plates as an energy source to generate electricity for mobility and other energy applications. Unlike conventional rechargeable batteries, the system does not require conventional charging. Instead, depleted aluminium-based components can be replaced through a swapping process. Chakr advertises a rental and pay-per-use operating model, with a swapping time of five to ten minutes. The company also claims three to four times the operating runtime compared with lithium-ion batteries in its targeted applications. Its stated areas of interest include mobility and industrial energy requirements.

Beyond exhaust treatment and fuel technologies, Chakr has developed solutions for generator monitoring and ambient dust suppression. Chakr GenSense is an Internet of Things (IoT)-based monitoring system for diesel generators. It uses sensors, cloud connectivity and digital dashboards to provide remote information about generator performance. Its features include monitoring fuel levels, generator runtime, electrical load, voltage, current and power factor. The platform also provides alerts for maintenance requirements and helps identify fuel pilferage. Businesses operating generators across multiple locations can use the system to access operational information through a centralized dashboard.

Chakr DeSmog addresses dust pollution at construction and industrial sites. The system operates as an automated anti-smog gun, using a high-pressure pump and precision nozzles to convert water into fine droplets. An industrial blower projects the mist into the surrounding air, where the droplets interact with suspended particulate matter, including PM2.5 and PM10. Chakr states that its equipment can project mist over distances of approximately 70 to 100 metres. The solution is intended for construction sites, infrastructure projects and industrial facilities where airborne dust is a concern.

The company’s emissions-monitoring portfolio includes Chakr EMS, an Emission Monitoring System designed for industrial applications. It provides continuous monitoring of emissions from industrial stacks and records parameters including sulphur dioxide (SO₂), carbon monoxide, hydrogen chloride (HCl), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), hydrogen fluoride (HF), ammonia (NH₃), suspended particulate matter (SPM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). Chakr says its system monitors more than ten gas and particulate parameters and supports continuous data logging and connectivity with regulatory systems. The company describes its offering as compliant with CPCB monitoring guidelines and states that its gas analyser has National Physical Laboratory (NPL) certification and TÜV Rheinland certification under EN 15267.

After-sales support is another component of Chakr Innovation’s business. Through Chakr Pro, the company offers specialised maintenance services for Retrofit Emission Control Devices installed on diesel generators. RECD performance can be affected over time by soot accumulation, blockages and component wear, making regular servicing important. Chakr Pro offers annual maintenance contracts covering initial equipment assessments, scheduled inspections, cleaning, component replacement, performance monitoring and emergency repairs. The company also provides maintenance and compliance reports, alongside IoT-based diagnostics for remote troubleshooting. Chakr states that it has more than 40 expert service engineers and provides nationwide service coverage.

Chakr Pro gives the company a service offering alongside its equipment sales. Its maintenance programme is intended to help customers maintain RECD performance and meet applicable emission requirements throughout the equipment’s operating life. The company has not publicly disclosed detailed AMC pricing, renewal rates or the proportion of its installed RECD base covered by these contracts.

Chakr Innovation has attracted institutional investment as it has expanded its technology portfolio and manufacturing operations. Its funding history includes investments from IAN Fund, ONGC and SBI Capital Ventures. In September 2025, the company announced a $23 million (approximately ₹193.5 crore) Series C funding round led by Iron Pillar. Existing investors also participated in its funding history. The company said the capital would support manufacturing expansion, international growth, backward integration and research and development.

In the same funding announcement, Chakr reported more than 5,000 installations and over 2,000 customers. It also said its technologies had helped reduce more than 2.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. These figures are company-reported metrics.

Chakr Innovation’s portfolio covers several connected areas of industrial environmental technology. Chakr Shield and DeNOx address generator exhaust emissions, the Dual Fuel Kit focuses on fuel substitution, GenSense provides operational monitoring, EMS measures industrial emissions, and DeSmog targets airborne dust. Al-Air represents the company’s work in alternative energy technology, while Chakr Pro supports the maintenance of installed emission-control equipment.

The company’s development will depend on the commercial adoption of these products, their performance in operating conditions and its ability to scale manufacturing and service operations. Its current portfolio and September 2025 funding round place Chakr Innovation among India’s cleantech companies working on industrial emissions, air-quality management and alternative energy technologies.