Environmental dust is modified towards self-cleaning applications under the gravitational influence. Dust particles are collected in the local area of Dammam in Saudi Arabia and they are treated with a dilute hydrofluoric acid solution. The changes in chemical and adhesion characteristics of the dust particles prior and after the solution treatment are analyzed. Force of adhesion and work required to remove dust from hydrophobic and hydrophilic glass surfaces are assessed, separately, for solution treated and collected dust. We show that aqueous hydrofluoric acid solution treatment modifies some dust components while causing the formation of submicron cracks and nano/submicron porous/pillars like textures on the dust particles. The texture generated on dust surfaces after the solution treatment has a great influence on dust adhesion characteristics. Hence, the solution treated dust particles result in lower adhesion on hydrophobic and hydrophilic glass surfaces as compared to that of untreated dust. The gravitational force enables to remove solution treated dust from inclined glass surfaces, which becomes more apparent for hydrophobic surfaces. Climate change causes increased cycles of dust storms and dust settlement on surfaces, especially in urban areas, significantly influences the urban life in terms of agriculture 1 , health 2 , renewable energy harvesting 3 , etc. Mitigation of dust from surfaces becomes one of the recent challenges and, particularly, dust removal from energy harvesting device surfaces becomes necessary towards sustaining device performance. Using the gravitational influence only removing dust from surfaces becomes fruitful. The inclination of the surface can create the gravitational influence while causing dust particles displacement on the surface 4. However, frictional and adhesion forces (such as van der Walls forces) between the particles and the surface generate a retardation effect on the motion of dust particles along the inclined surface. Since the dust particle size varies and large size particles can cause avalanche influence on the remaining small size dust particles while enhancing dust motion on the surface 4. However, some compounds in the dust particles, such as alkaline and alkaline earth metal compounds, do not satisfy the stoichiometric elemental ratio 5 ; hence, this causes ionic forces to be created on the particle surface while contributing to the interfacial force between the dust and inclined surfaces. This also enhances the pinning effect of the dust particles on the inclined surface. However, lowering surface energies of both the dust particles and the inclined surface, via chemical modification, can reduce the interfacial attraction between both surfaces. Therefore, investigation of dust particles removal from inclined surfaces with and without chemical modifications becomes essential for dust cleaning applications under the gravitational influence. Dust composes of several elements and compounds, which depend on the geomorphologic structure of the landscapes 5. S...
Cost effective dust mitigation from surfaces is one of the challenges in various sectors. The reduction of dust adhesion on surfaces plays a vital role for dust mitigation from surfaces under the gravitational influence. Creating an avalanche effect on dusty surfaces improves the dust mitigation rate and provides an effective cleaning process. Hence, solution treatment of dust by low concentration hydrofluoric acid is considered towards reducing dust adhesion on glass surfaces. To increase the rate of dust mitigation, the avalanche influence is created by the higher density and larger size particles (5300 kg/m3 and ~ 50 µm) than the average size dust particles (2800 kg/m3 and 1.2 µm) via locating them in the top region of the dusty glass surfaces. Mitigation velocity of the dust particles is evaluated using a high-speed recording system and the tracker program. Findings revealed that solution treatment (curing) of the dust particles results in the formation of fluorine compounds, such as CaF2 and MgF2, on dust surfaces, which suppress dust adhesion on surfaces. OSHA Globally Harmonized System lists the fluorine compounds formed as environmentally non-harmful. Avalanche's influence results in dust mitigation at a smaller tilt angle of the glass surface (~ 52°) than that of the case with none-avalanche influence (63°). Area cleaned on the glass surface, via dust mitigation, is larger as the avalanche is introduced, which becomes more apparent for the solution treated dust particles. Dust mitigation under avalanche influence improves optical transmittance of the dusty glass samples by a factor of 98%.
An innovative method is introduced for environmental dust mitigation from a hydrophobic surface by a sessile water droplet.
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