Control and Purification of Particulate Matter

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Air Pollution Control".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2023) | Viewed by 18489

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Resources and Environment, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
Interests: particulate matter; filtration; dust control; filter regeneration; gas-particle flow
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Low Carbon Energy Institute, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Interests: aerosol detection and control; indoor air purification and respiratory protection; industrial and mining dust control

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Guest Editor
School of Resources, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
Interests: particulate matter; indoor air; filtration; health risk assessment; source apportionment
Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
Interests: aerosol science and technology; filtration; individual respiratory protection; particulate matter detection

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Atmosphere is dedicating this Special Issue to the Control and Purification of Particulate Matter (PM). PM in the atmosphere is a complex and heterogeneous mixture. These particles come in many sizes and shapes and can be made up of hundreds of different chemicals. PM can arise from natural or anthropogenic sources. Some particles, such as dust, dirt, soot, or smoke, can be seen with the naked eye. However, some are so small that they can only be detected through tests. PM is harmful to air quality, public health, and the environment. For this Special Issue, we aim to compile high-quality research and provide the community with a valuable resource on the study of the Control and Purification of Particulate Matter.

This Special Issue welcomes contributions focused on the recent development and application of novel control or purification design, control system optimization, and purification mechanism understanding in the field. Alternatively, authors can contribute manuscripts that focus on particulate matter monitoring, physicochemical properties, specific measurement techniques, migration, and simulation. Finally, particle pollution, individual respiratory protection, and health impacts are also welcome contributions to this Special Issue. If in doubt about the suitability of the research for the SI, potential authors are invited to discuss their idea with the Guest Editor before preparing their papers.

Prof. Dr. Jianlong Li
Prof. Dr. Shihang Li
Prof. Dr. Shan Huang
Dr. Peng Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • particulate matter properties
  • particulate matter monitoring
  • particle migration and simulation
  • particle pollution
  • control approach
  • filtration and purification
  • individual respiratory protection
  • health impacts

Published Papers (10 papers)

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13 pages, 2614 KiB  
Article
A Study on Dust-Control Technology Used for Large Mining Heights Based on the Optimization Design of a Tracking Spray Nozzle
by Zuxiang Hu, Benyi Zhang and Haoqian Chang
Atmosphere 2023, 14(4), 627; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14040627 - 26 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2368
Abstract
Intense cutting-induced dust production in fully mechanized mining faces (FMMFs) with large mining heights produces a high amount of dust that is difficult to capture and severely affects the working environment, threatening the health of occupational staff. The effective spray range and atomization [...] Read more.
Intense cutting-induced dust production in fully mechanized mining faces (FMMFs) with large mining heights produces a high amount of dust that is difficult to capture and severely affects the working environment, threatening the health of occupational staff. The effective spray range and atomization performance of tracking sprays are counteracted by the influences of the mine’s height and ventilation airflow in FMMFs. Thus, optimizing the spray’s parameters and relationship between the effective spray range and atomization performance to reduce dust levels is the main priority of dust-control techniques. In this study, a new swirl-core atomization nozzle is developed based on fluid mechanics and the solid–liquid coalescence mechanism. The liquid generates a circumferential velocity when passing through the swirl core, which considerably increases the droplet breaking power and reduces the droplet cohesion factor, achieving a remarkable atomization effect. The spray angle of the new nozzle is 57°, which is 80.9% greater than the GZPW-16 mine-use nozzle (31.5°); the effective spray range increases from 5.2 to 5.9 m; and the spray’s mist saturation is significantly better than the GZPW-16 mine-use nozzle. Under different test pressures, the particle size range of the droplets produced by the new nozzle and dust particles on site satisfied the best synergy of droplet–dust coalescence. The total and respirable dust-reduction rates were 78% and 75.1%, respectively, which were 42% and 65% higher than those of the original nozzle. The new nozzle effectively improves the efficiency of the single dust-control technique of the tracking spray, which is significant for the dust-prevention and -control technology of FMMFs with large mining heights. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Control and Purification of Particulate Matter)
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16 pages, 6498 KiB  
Article
Influence of Oil Content on Particle Loading Characteristics of a Two-Stage Filtration System
by Xinjiao Tian, Qisheng Ou, Yajing Lu, Jingxian Liu, Yun Liang, David Y. H. Pui and Hang Yi
Atmosphere 2023, 14(3), 551; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14030551 - 14 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1328
Abstract
Filter media may encounter aerosols mixed with solid and oil ingredients from various sources, such as industries, transportation, and households, in the air purification process, while the influence such oil content has on the loading performance of single-stage and two-stage filtration systems is [...] Read more.
Filter media may encounter aerosols mixed with solid and oil ingredients from various sources, such as industries, transportation, and households, in the air purification process, while the influence such oil content has on the loading performance of single-stage and two-stage filtration systems is under-reported. Thus, this study aims to evaluate oil fraction effects on the loading performance of single-stage and two-stage filtration systems. First, to reveal the oil–solid mixed particle deposition mechanisms, the filter media parameters, i.e., specific cake resistance ε and cake porosity K2, were tested, indicating that a slight amount of oil can increase the dust holding capacity (DHC) of filters by forming a more porous cake, while an excess of oil results in reduced DHC by forming impermeable liquid films on the solid skeleton. Further two-stage experimental results indicate that the effectiveness of a pre-stage filter can be significantly affected by the properties of incoming aerosol and main-stage filters. The utilization of a pre-stage filter unintentionally deteriorated the service lifetime of the main-stage filter when challenged with contaminants with certain oil particles. This counter-intuitive negative phenomenon is due to the special loading behaviors of oil–solid mixed particles. The existing pre-stage filters allow a higher fine oil particle fraction to reach the main-stage downstream, while the induced cake filtration scenario leading to a film clogging scenario adversely reduced the lifetime of the main-stage filter. The findings suggest that the feasibility of a pre-stage in the filtration system requires compressive evaluations according to the specific oil-coated contaminants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Control and Purification of Particulate Matter)
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14 pages, 2751 KiB  
Article
Synergistic Effect Evaluation of Slot-Type Nozzle Area, Jet Pressure and Jet Distance on Improving Deashing Performance of Flat CARTRIDGE Filter
by Xue Li, Huan Cheng, Haiyan Chen, Zhengxue Xiao and Juan Lv
Atmosphere 2023, 14(2), 325; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14020325 - 6 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1002
Abstract
The difference of deashing performance between the areas of positive-to-blowing holes and that of non-positive-to-blowing holes is an important problem that causes a non-uniform deashing performance to a flat box filter cartridge, which limits the improvement of raising the ash cleaning efficiency to [...] Read more.
The difference of deashing performance between the areas of positive-to-blowing holes and that of non-positive-to-blowing holes is an important problem that causes a non-uniform deashing performance to a flat box filter cartridge, which limits the improvement of raising the ash cleaning efficiency to this kind of filter. In order to solve the above problems, the influence of blowing pressure, blowing distance and blowing hole area on cleaning performance was studied. Industrial coating test was also carried out to investigate and verify the actual ash cleaning performance under the optimal conditions obtained from the above investigations. Finally, the design method of the size of the slotted blowing hole was optimized. The results showed that at 0.3 MPa of the pulse pressure, the cleaning performance can meet the cleaning requirements and the best cleaning uniformity can be obtained. With the increase in slot-type nozzle area, the pressure at the areas facing the non-positive nozzles increased significantly, and thus the overall cleaning uniformity increased. The slot-type nozzle area of 273, 546 and 819 mm2 had the best cleaning effects at the jet distances of 40, 20~40 and 20 mm, respectively. The findings of this study are of great significance and can provide theoretical and experimental reference for important parameters selection of the flat cartridges filter in industrial application to improve the efficiency of dust removal. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Control and Purification of Particulate Matter)
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12 pages, 3175 KiB  
Article
PM2.5-Related Health Risk during Chinese Spring Festival in Taizhou, Zhejiang: The Health Impacts of COVID-19 Lockdown
by Quanquan Wu, Xianglian Wang, Kai Ji, Haibing Qiu, Weiwei Feng, Shan Huang, Ting Huang, Jianlong Li and Daishe Wu
Atmosphere 2022, 13(12), 2099; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13122099 - 14 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1154
Abstract
Exposure to high concentrations of fine particles (PM2.5) with toxic metals can have significant health effects, especially during the Chinese spring festival (CSF), due to the large amount of fireworks’ emissions. Few studies have focused on the potential health impact of [...] Read more.
Exposure to high concentrations of fine particles (PM2.5) with toxic metals can have significant health effects, especially during the Chinese spring festival (CSF), due to the large amount of fireworks’ emissions. Few studies have focused on the potential health impact of PM2.5 pollution in small cities in China during the 2020 CSF, which coincided with the COVID-19 outbreak that posed a huge challenge to the environment and obvious health issues to countries around the world. We examined the characteristics of PM2.5, including carbonaceous matter and elements, for three intervals during the 2020 CSF in Taizhou, identified the sources and evaluated the health risks, and compared them with those of 2018. The results showed that PM2.5 increased by 13.20% during the 2020 CSF compared to those in the 2018 CSF, while carbonaceous matter (CM) and elements decreased by 39.41% and 53.84%, respectively. The synergistic effects of emissions, chemistry, and transport may lead to increased PM2.5 pollution, while the lockdown measures contributed to the decrease in CM and elements during the 2020 CSF. Fe, Mn, and Cu were the most abundant elements in PM2.5 in both years, and As and Cr(VI) should be of concern as their concentrations in both years exceeded the NAAQS guideline values. Industry, combustion, and mineral/road dust sources were identified by PCA in both years, with a 5.87% reduction in the contribution from industry in 2020 compared to 2018. The noncarcinogenic risk posed by As, Co, Mn, and Ti in 2018 and As and Mn in 2020 was significant. The carcinogenic risk posed by As, Cr(VI), and Pb exceeded the accepted precautionary limit (1 × 10−6) in both years. Mn was the dominant contributor to the total noncarcinogenic risks, while Cr(VI) showed the largest excessive cancer risks posed by metals in PM2.5, implying its associated source, industry, was the greatest risk to people in Taizhou after exposure to PM2.5. Despite the increase in PM2.5 mass concentration, the health impacts were reduced by the lockdown policy implemented in Taizhou during the 2020 CSF compared to 2018. Our study highlights the urgent need to consider the mitigation of emissions in Taizhou and regional joint management efforts based on health protection objectives despite the rough source apportionment by PCA. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Control and Purification of Particulate Matter)
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11 pages, 2567 KiB  
Article
An Efficient Ash Cleaning Method for Flat Box Cartridge Filter: Structure, Parameters and Cleaning Mechanism of Slotted Blowing
by Xue Li, Juan Lv, Haiyan Chen, Zhengxue Xiao, Youcai Xiang and Jianbo Wang
Atmosphere 2022, 13(12), 2040; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13122040 - 5 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1055
Abstract
The problem of serious ash accumulation at the lower part of flat box filter cartridges is an important limitation for the improvement of ash cleaning efficiency in this kind of filter. To solve the above-mentioned problem, the type of slotted blowing hole impacting [...] Read more.
The problem of serious ash accumulation at the lower part of flat box filter cartridges is an important limitation for the improvement of ash cleaning efficiency in this kind of filter. To solve the above-mentioned problem, the type of slotted blowing hole impacting the performance of the ash removing under the same ash cleaning area was studied. In the present work, a total of four types of slotted blowing holes with different length were designed. The influence of blowing distance and blowing pressure on dust removal performance were investigated. Numerical simulation was conducted to demonstrate the mechanism of the dust removal process. An industrial coating test was also carried out to investigate and verify the actual ash cleaning performance under the optimal conditions as obtained from the above investigations. The results showed that: (1) the performance of dust cleaning produced by a three-slit blowhole was better than that by a four-slit blowhole; (2) 0.2 MPa was determined to be the optimal blowing pressure, which meets the requirement of ash cleaning; (3) 20 mm was selected as the optimal blowing distance, as this was the distance at which the surface side wall pressure at the non-positive-to-blow hole area was obviously increased, indicating that the whole performance of ash cleaning could be improved. The results obtained in this study are of great significance for improving the efficiency of dust removal in the use of flat box filters, promoting the development of dust removal technology, protection of environment, and reduction of human health damage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Control and Purification of Particulate Matter)
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16 pages, 3604 KiB  
Article
Distribution Characteristics and Source Apportionment of Winter Carbonaceous Aerosols in a Rural Area in Shandong, China
by Changwei Zou, Jiayi Wang, Kuanyun Hu, Jianlong Li, Chenglong Yu, Fangxu Zhu and Hong Huang
Atmosphere 2022, 13(11), 1858; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13111858 - 8 Nov 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1352
Abstract
PM2.5 samples were collected for 15 consecutive days in a rural area in Shandong from January to February 2022. The carbon components and water-soluble ions in PM2.5 were measured, and the distribution characteristics and sources of the carbonaceous aerosols were analysed. [...] Read more.
PM2.5 samples were collected for 15 consecutive days in a rural area in Shandong from January to February 2022. The carbon components and water-soluble ions in PM2.5 were measured, and the distribution characteristics and sources of the carbonaceous aerosols were analysed. It was found that the concentrations of PM2.5 in the region were high in winter (55.79–236.11 μg/m³). Organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) accounted for 11.61% and 4.57% of PM2.5, respectively. The average concentrations of OC (19.01 μg/m³) and EC (7.49 μg/m³) in PM2.5 were high. The mean value of secondary organic carbon (SOC), estimated by the minimum R squared (MRS) method, was 14.76 μg/m3, accounting for a high proportion of OC (79.41%). Four OC fractions (OC1, OC2, OC3, and OC4) were significantly correlated with SOC, indicating that the OC components contained a large amount of SOC. OC3, OC4, EC1, and OC2 dominated (accounting for 80% of TC) among the eight carbon fractions. Water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC, 12.82 μg/m³) and methanol-soluble organic carbon (MSOC) (16.28 μg/m³) accounted for 67.47% and 84.99% of OC, respectively, indicating that SOC accounted for a high proportion of OC. The proportion of eight water-soluble ions in PM2.5 was 47.48%. NH4+ can neutralise most of the SO42− and NO3, forming (NH4)2SO4 and NH4NO3, while Cl mainly exists in the form of KCl and MgCl2. The ratios of some typical components showed that PM2.5 was not only affected by local combustion sources, but also by mobile sources. The cluster analysis results of the backward trajectory model showed that primary and secondary sources in Shandong Province had a great impact on PM2.5 (64%). The analysis results of the positive matrix factorisation (PMF) model showed that the sources of PM2.5 in the region included mobile sources, primary combustion sources, secondary sources, and dust sources, among which secondary sources contributed the most (60.46%). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Control and Purification of Particulate Matter)
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11 pages, 1897 KiB  
Article
Real-Time PM2.5 Monitoring in a Diesel Generator Workshop Using Low-Cost Sensors
by Zikang Feng, Lina Zheng, Lingyu Liu and Wenli Zhang
Atmosphere 2022, 13(11), 1766; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13111766 - 26 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1868
Abstract
Particulates from diesel generator operation are a known air pollutant with adverse health effects. In this study, we used low-cost particulate matter (PM) sensors to monitor PM2.5 in a diesel generator plant. We compared the measurement results from a PM sensor and [...] Read more.
Particulates from diesel generator operation are a known air pollutant with adverse health effects. In this study, we used low-cost particulate matter (PM) sensors to monitor PM2.5 in a diesel generator plant. We compared the measurement results from a PM sensor and a reference instrument (DustTrak), and we found a high correlation between them. The data overestimation or underestimation of PM sensors implied the need for data calibration. Hence, we proposed a data calibration algorithm based on a nonlinear support vector machines(SVM )model, and we investigated the effect of three calibration factors on the model: humidity, temperature, and total volatile organic compounds (TVOC). It was found that the TVOC correction coefficient has great influence on the model, which should be considered when calibrating the low-cost PM sensor in diesel generator operation sites. A monitoring network with six low-cost sensors was installed in the diesel generator plant to monitor PM2.5 concentration. It was found that normal diesel generator work, diesel generator set handling work, and human activity are the most dominant ways of producing particulate matter at the site, and dispersion is the main cause of increased PM2.5 concentrations in nonworking areas. In this study, PM2.5 emissions from two different diesel generators were tested, and PM2.5 concentrations at monitoring points reached 220 μg/m3 and 120 μg/m3, respectively. This further confirms that diesel generators produce many respirable particles when working. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Control and Purification of Particulate Matter)
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11 pages, 4205 KiB  
Article
A Real-Time Approach to Detect PM2.5 in a Seriously Polluted Environment Based on Pressure Drop
by Jialin Li, Lina Zheng, Peng Xuan and Ruiyan Huo
Atmosphere 2022, 13(8), 1237; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13081237 - 4 Aug 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1943
Abstract
A differential pressure-based low-cost PM2.5 detection system was developed for particulate matter measurement in polluted environments. The PM2.5 monitor consists of a sampling device, a pump, a pressure sensor, and a control circuit. Two sampling devices including a foam penetration-filter tube [...] Read more.
A differential pressure-based low-cost PM2.5 detection system was developed for particulate matter measurement in polluted environments. The PM2.5 monitor consists of a sampling device, a pump, a pressure sensor, and a control circuit. Two sampling devices including a foam penetration-filter tube and a cyclone-filter holder were applied. Tests were conducted in a haze environment and laboratory particle chambers with varying PM2.5 concentration. The pressure data were related to the PM2.5 concentration recorded by Dusttrak to show the calibration process and the performance of this instrument. Results showed the concentration information given by the instrument was consistent with the actual concentration in the experiment, and this instrument was more suitable for seriously polluted environment detection. Concentration oscillation of the pressure-based PM2.5 monitor caused by turbulent flow could be reduced by a longer calculation interval and data averaging in the calculation process. As a low-cost sensor, the pressure-based PM2.5 monitor still has good performance and application value for detecting high-concentration PM2.5 in atmospheric environments or workplaces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Control and Purification of Particulate Matter)
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11 pages, 5249 KiB  
Article
Influence of Relative Humidity on the Characteristics of Filter Cake Using Particle Flow Code Simulation
by Dinglian Shi, Jianlong Li, Yongnan Du, Quanquan Wu, Shan Huang, Hong Huang and Daishe Wu
Atmosphere 2022, 13(5), 770; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13050770 - 10 May 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1802
Abstract
To study the effect of air humidity on particle filtration performance, the Particle Flow Code (PFC) calculation program was used to numerically simulate the formation process of filter cake. The effects of relative air humidity on the deposition morphology, porosity and filtration resistance [...] Read more.
To study the effect of air humidity on particle filtration performance, the Particle Flow Code (PFC) calculation program was used to numerically simulate the formation process of filter cake. The effects of relative air humidity on the deposition morphology, porosity and filtration resistance characteristics of the filter cake were revealed. The results show that relative humidity (RH) is mainly reflected in the density and surface viscosity of the particles. It was found that the higher the relative humidity, the higher the particle moisture content, the greater the density, and the greater the surface viscosity. With an increase in the particle density or with a decrease in the viscosity, the bridging phenomenon of particle deposition became more obvious; the dendritic deposition phenomenon became weaker; and, therefore, the filter cake structure became denser; the porosity decreased; and the total filtration resistance increased. As the humidity changed, the actual density and viscosity of the particles changed simultaneously with different degrees, which caused different variation trends of the filter cake characteristics. Three different types of particles, DM828 (Starch), PVA1788 (Polyvinyl Alcohol) and Polyacrylamide (Polyacrylic acid), were selected for comparison. For the studied PVA1788 and Polyacrylamide particles, with an increase in relative humidity, the porosity of the filter cake increased monotonously, while the total filtration resistance decreased monotonously. For DM828 particles, the cake porosity first decreased and then increased, and the total filtration resistance first increased and then decreased, with an inflection point at 30% RH. By combining these results with existing reports, three kinds of variations of the filtration performance with humidity could be determined: (1) as the humidity increased, the filtration resistance first increased and then decreased; (2) the filtration resistance decreased; and (3) the filtration resistance increased. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Control and Purification of Particulate Matter)
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16 pages, 8972 KiB  
Technical Note
An Environmentally Friendly Technology of Metal Fiber Bag Filter to Purify Dust-Laden Airflow
by Mingxing Zhang, Wenqian Qin, Xiaohui Ma, Anxiong Liu, Cuiping Yan, Peng Li, Mei Huang and Chunhong He
Atmosphere 2022, 13(3), 485; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13030485 - 17 Mar 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3470
Abstract
Over the past decades, China has suffered from negative environmental impacts from distempered dust-laden airflow-purification activities. After a decade of effort, dust-laden airflow purification and powder particle recycling have been realized in specialized companies in China, and law enforcement for illegal activities of [...] Read more.
Over the past decades, China has suffered from negative environmental impacts from distempered dust-laden airflow-purification activities. After a decade of effort, dust-laden airflow purification and powder particle recycling have been realized in specialized companies in China, and law enforcement for illegal activities of dust-laden airflow discharge has also been made increasingly strict. Thus, up to now, dust-laden airflow purification in China should be developed toward being more in-depth and refined to promote industrial applications of dust-laden airflow purification. This article reviews the status of existing technologies for dust-laden airflow purification. A novel and environmentally friendly technology for purifying the dust-laden airflow is proposed which uses a metal bag filter to collect dust particles. The bottlenecks in the dust-laden airflow-purification system are analyzed. Some preliminary experiments of pinch technologies are also conducted. Finally, in order to provide directional guidance for the future development of metal bag filters, some key points regarding the metal bag filter purification system are proposed to point towards a future trend in dust-laden airflow purification. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Control and Purification of Particulate Matter)
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