No abstract

A novel active personal nanoparticle sampler (PENS), which enables the collection of both respirable particulate mass (RPM) and nanoparticles (NPs) simultaneously, was developed to meet the critical demand for personal sampling of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in workplaces. The PENS consists of a respirable cyclone and a micro-orifice impactor with the cutoff aerodynamic diameter (d(pa50)) of 4 μm and 100 nm, respectively. The micro-orifice impactor has a fixed micro-orifice plate (137 nozzles of 55 μm in the inner diameter) and a rotating, silicone oil-coated Teflon filter substrate at 1 rpm to achieve a uniform particle deposition and avoid solid particle bounce. A final filter is used after the impactor to collect the NPs. Calibration results show that the d(pa50) of the respirable cyclone and the micro-orifice impactor are 3.92 ± 0.22 μm and 101.4 ± 0.1 nm, respectively. The d(pa50) at the loaded micro-Al(2)O(3) mass of 0.36-3.18 mg is shifted to 102.9-101.2 nm, respectively, while it is shifted to 98.9-97.8 nm at the loaded nano-TiO(2) mass of 0.92-1.78 mg, respectively. That is, the shift of d(pa50) due to solid particle loading is small if the PENS is not overloaded. Both NPs and RPM concentrations were found to agree well with those of the IOSH respirable cyclone and MOUDI. By using the present PENS, the collected samples can be further analyzed for chemical species concentrations besides gravimetric analysis to determine the actual exposure concentrations of ENMs in both RPM and NPs fractions in workplaces, which are often influenced by the background or incident pollution sources.

In this study, nanoparticle (NP, diameter \ 100 nm) and respirable particles measurements were conducted at three different nanopowder workplaces, including the mixing area of a nano-SiO 2epoxy molding compound plant (primary diameter: 15 nm), bagging areas of a nano-carbon black (nano-CB) (primary diameter: 32 nm) and a nano-CaCO 3 (primary diameter: 94 nm) manufacturing plant. Chemical analysis of respirable particle mass (RPM) and NPs was performed to quantify the content of manufactured nanoparticles in the collected samples. Nanopowder products obtained from the plants were used in the laboratory dustiness testing using a rotating drum tester to obtain particle mass and number distributions. The obtained laboratory data were then used to elucidate the field data. Both field and laboratory data showed that NP number and mass concentrations of manufactured materials were close to the background level. Number concentration was elevated only for particles with the electrical mobility diameter [100 nm during bagging or feeding processes, unless there were combustionrelated incidental sources existed. Large fraction of nanomaterials was found in the RPM due to agglomeration of nanomaterials or attachment of nanomaterials to the larger particles. From this study, it is concluded that RPM concentration measurements are necessary for the exposure assessment of nanoparticles in workplaces.

Pleated electret HVAC filters are often used in residence to mitigate the particles that originate both indoors and outdoors. These filters are usually tested with particles larger than 300 nm. However, residential particles can contain a significant amount of nanoparticles with size below 50 nm due to cooking, smoking, cleaning, wood burning, and outdoor infiltration. In order to characterize the nanoparticle removal by electret HVAC filters, penetrations of 3-50 nm silver nanoparticles through five different flat sheet electret media used in commercial residential HVAC filters were tested with face velocities of 0.05, 0.5, and 1.0 m s ¡1. Experimental results showed that all media had significantly high penetrations with 0.35-0.8 at the most penetrating particle sizes (MPPSs) for all three velocities, which were in the sizes of 10-30 nm. A model based on single fiber theory for particle penetration predictions was used and compared with the experimental data. Results showed that the model predicted the nanoparticle penetrations very well for all media and all face velocities tested. According to the model, for enhancing the nanoparticle efficiency of the current commercial HVAC filters, the fiber diameter should be reduced or the number of pleats should be increased. However, by doing these, pressure drop and cost may be largely increased. On the other hand, this study found the existing commercial mechanical HVAC filters were much capable for sub-50 nm nanoparticle removal when their minimum efficiency reporting values (MERVs) were larger than 13 and it is concluded mechanical HVAC filters can do a better job than electret ones. However, the quality factor analysis showed electret filters could be regarded as the best filter media for removing particles smaller than 300 nm.

No abstract

No abstract

In this study, an efficient parallel-plate single-stage wet electrostatic precipitator (wet ESP) with a width of 75 mm, effective precipitation length of 48 mm and gap of 9.0 mm was designed and tested to control fine and nanosized particles without the need of rapping. The collection plates are made of sand-blasted copper plates coated with TiO 2 nanopowder instead of hydrophilic membranes. Three gold wires (diameter: 100 µm) were used as the discharge electrodes and a pulse jet valve was used to regularly purge the wires. The design of the present wet ESP is aimed at solving the problems of traditional dry ESPs: reduction of the collection efficiency due to particle deposition on the discharge electrodes and collection electrodes, back corona, and particle reentrainment. The collection efficiency at initially clean and heavy particle loading conditions was tested and compared to a similar dry ESP. Experimental results showed that when the wet ESP was initially clean, the particle collection efficiency ranged from 96.9-99.7% for particles ranging from 16.8 to 615 nm in electrical mobility diameter at an aerosol flow rate of 5 L/min (residence time of 0.39 s) and an applied voltage of 4.3 kV. After heavy loading with TiO 2 nanopowder about 1.2 ± 0.06 g/plate, the collection efficiency of the present wet ESP for corn oil particles was shown to reduce only slightly to 94.7-99.0% for particles from 16.8 to 615 nm in diameter.

As COVID-19 pandemic has caused more than 24 million confirmed cases globally (as of August 28 th , 2020), it is critical to slow down the spreading of SARS-CoV-2 to protect the healthcare system from overload. Wearing a respirator or a mask has been proven as an effective method to protect both the wearer and others, but commercially available respirators and masks should be reserved for healthcare workers under a currently desperate shortage. The use of alternative materials becomes an option for the general public to make the do-it-yourself (DIY) masks, with their efficacy seldom reported. In this study, we tested commercial respirators and masks, furnace filters, vacuum cleaner filters, and common household materials. We evaluated the materials' fractional filtration efficiency and breathing resistance, which are primary factors affecting respiratory protection. To compare the efficiency-resistance tradeoff, the figure of merit of each tested common material was also calculated. Filter media with electrostatic charges (electret) is recommended due to its high efficiency with low flow resistance; multiple-layer household fabrics and sterilization wraps are acceptable materials; a coffee filter is inadvisable due to its low efficiency. The outcome of this study can not only offer guidance for the general public under the current pandemic but also suggest the appropriate alternative respiratory protection materials under heavy air pollution episodes.