Particulate matter concentrations in residences: an intervention study evaluating stand-alone filters and air conditioners

This study, a randomized controlled trial, evaluated the effectiveness of free-standing air filters and window air conditioners (ACs) in 126 low-income households of children with asthma. Households were randomized into a control group, a group receiving a free-standing HEPA filter placed in the child's sleeping area, and a group receiving the filter and a window-mounted AC. Indoor air quality (IAQ) was monitored for week-long periods over three to four seasons. High concentrations of particulate matter (PM) and carbon dioxide were frequently seen. When IAQ was monitored, filters reduced PM levels in the child's bedroom by an average of 50%. Filter use varied greatly among households and declined over time, for example, during weeks when pollutants were monitored, filter use was initially high, averaging 84±27%, but dropped to 63±33% in subsequent seasons. In months when households were not visited, use averaged only 34±30%. Filter effectiveness did not vary in homes with central or room ACs. The study shows that measurements over multiple seasons are needed to characterize air quality and filter performance. The effectiveness of interventions using free-standing air filters depends on occupant behavior, and strategies to ensure filter use should be an integral part of interventions. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) increased particulate matter (PM) levels by about 14 μg/m3 and was often detected using ETS-specific tracers despite restrictions on smoking in the house as reported on questionnaires administered to caregivers. PM concentrations depended on season, filter usage, relative humidity, air exchange ratios, number of children, outdoor PM levels, sweeping/dusting, and presence of a central air conditioner (AC). Free-standing air filters can be an effective intervention that provides substantial reductions in PM concentrations if the filters are used. However, filter use was variable across the study population and declined over the study duration, and thus strategies are needed to encourage and maintain use of filters. The variability in filter use suggests that exposure misclassification is a potential problem in intervention studies using filters. The installation of a room AC in the bedroom, intended to limit air exchange ratios, along with an air filter, did not lower PM levels more than the filter alone.     

洁净空间阻漏层气流分布方式的特性和应用

提出采用阻漏层进行洁过滤、密封、气流分布作用的解耦。活塞流满布比，强化乱流洁净空间关键词阻漏层气流分布净室气流分布的概念及理论方法，顺利实现了高效过滤器应用实例表明，该气流分布方式能增大单向流洁净空间的气流分布的主流区特性。     

洁净室高效空气过滤器现场检漏方法的实验研究——国标《洁净室施工及验收规范》编制组研讨系列课题之七

高效空气过滤器现场扫描检漏测试是保证洁净室工程质量的必要措施之一,但在实际工程测试时常遇到将高效空气过滤器边框及安装框架处含尘浓度偏高误判为存在漏点的问题,介绍了IEST给出的相关测试方法及部分洁净室施工人员采取的非扫描检漏测试方法,通过理论分析及大量实验研究,提出了科学合理的高效空气过滤器扫描检漏测试方法。     

Model-based commissioning for filters in room air-conditioners

This paper proposes a model that can estimate filter resistance using estimated air-conditioner indoor unit air flow rate, which is tightly related to filter fouling conditions. Two sorts of value are used as inputs to estimate air flow rate. One is the power consumed by the fan in the indoor unit of a room air-conditioner and the other is the thermal performance of a room air-conditioner. For the room air-conditioners that the real-time indoor unit fan power consumption is available, fan power consumptions are used as inputs to estimate filter resistance. For the room air-conditioners that are equipped with refrigerant pressure and temperature sensors, this model estimates filter resistance using refrigerant pressure and temperature, air temperature or enthalpy difference between supply and indoor air. This model was validated using a really running multi-evaporator Gas-engine Heat Pump (GHP) system. The maximum and average difference between estimated and measured filter resistance are 12.72% and 5.89% when using the fan power consumption as inputs. When using the air-conditioner thermal performance data, the maximum and average estimation errors are 13.12% and 5.96%. The validation results show that this model is accurate enough for estimating filter resistance. Based on this model, the method for commissioning filters in air-conditioner is discussed. This method is useful for automatically estimating filter resistance and reminding users timely to clean or replace a filter to prevent wasting energy and to maintain desirable indoor environment.     

纳米光催化空气滤网处理空气中微量甲苯效果的实验研究

对4种纳米光催化空气滤网的甲苯降解性能进行了测试，结果显示某进口样机光催化降解甲苯效果明显；蜂窝、铝基和纸基3种光催化空气滤网光催化效果不明显，主要靠所含活性炭的吸附作用来消除甲苯，其中纸基滤网消除甲苯效果最好。较高的甲苯初始浓度和中低迎面风速下光催化效果较好。     

高效过滤器现场大气尘检漏方法的理论探讨——国标《洁净室施工及验收规范》编制组系列探讨问题之九

用射流理论具体论证了大气尘粒子计数器检漏方法(简称漏孔法),普通高效过滤器需要不低于2200粒/L(2.83L/min采样)的上游大气尘浓度,超高效过滤器需要不低于5800粒/L(28.3L/min采样)的上游大气尘浓度。只要扫描特征读数≥1,即可作静止检漏,若再≥3,即可判断为漏。漏孔法比ISO透过率法适用漏孔更小。     

Removal of MIB and geosmin using granular activated carbon with and without MIEX pre-treatment

This study assessed the impact of MIEX pre-treatment, followed by either coagulation or microfiltration (MF), on the effectiveness of pilot granular activated carbon (GAC) filters for the removal of the taste and odour compounds, 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) and geosmin, from a surface drinking water source over a 2-year period. Complete removal of MIB and geosmin was achieved by all GAC filters for the first 10 months, suggesting that the available adsorption capacity was sufficient to compensate for differences in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) entering the GAC filters.Reduction of empty bed contact time (EBCT), in all but one GAC filter, resulted in breakthrough of spiked MIB and geosmin, with initial results inconclusive regarding the impact of MIEX pre-treatment. MIB and geosmin removal increased over the ensuing 12 months until complete removal of both MIB and geosmin was again achieved in all but one GAC filter, which had been pre-chlorinated. Autoclaving and washing the GAC filters had minimal impact on geosmin removal but reduced MIB removal by 30% in all but the pre-chlorinated filter, confirming that biodegradation impacted MIB removal. The impact of biodegradation was greater than any impact on GAC adsorption arising from DOC differences due to MIEX pre-treatment. It is not clear whether, at a lower initial EBCT, MIEX pre-treatment may have impacted on the adsorption capacity of the virgin GAC.The GAC filter maintained at the longer EBCT, which was also pre-chlorinated, completely removed MIB and geosmin for the period of the study, suggesting that the greater adsorption capacity was compensating for any decrease in biological degradation.     

Catalytic-Iron Filters for Effective and Low-Cost Treatment of Odorous Air

Several methods are available to remove hydrogen sulphide and volatile organic sulphides from ventilated air at sewage-treatment works. Some methods use alkaline and oxidative chemical scrubbers which may have high capital and operational costs. Other methods, such as bio-scrubbers and bio-filters, are used to biochemically oxidize sulphides. Biological scrubbers have the advantage of low operating costs, but their performance may be adversely affected by a high concentration of sulphide (> 100 ml/m³).
This paper describes the development of a novel, compact and low-cost 'rusty-iron' chemical filter which catalyzes the oxidation of hydrogen sulphide and organic sulphides to colloidal sulphur and water. Operating costs are relatively low, with no need for routine maintenance. Full-scale demonstration of the effectiveness of such filters was carried out over two years at several treatment works, the results of which are described and discussed together with details of capital costs. The overall percentage removal of hydrogen sulphide by compact multistage filters was found to exceed 95%, irrespective of inlet sulphide concentrations which varied from 34 to 500 ml/m³ (ppm).     

Sensory pollution from bag-type fiberglass ventilation filters: Conventional filter compared with filters containing various amounts of activated carbon

As ventilation filters accumulate particles removed from the airstream, they become emitters of sensory pollutants that degrade indoor air quality. Previously we demonstrated that an F7 bag-type filter that incorporates activated carbon (a “combination filter”) reduces this adverse effect compared to an equivalent filter without carbon. The aim of the present study was to examine how the amount of activated carbon (AC) used in combination filters affects their ability to remove both sensory offending pollutants and ozone. A panel evaluated the air downstream of four different filters after each had continuously filtered outdoor suburban air over a period of 6 months. Interim assessments (mid-term evaluation) were performed after 3 months. During both assessments, four unused filters, identical in type to the loaded filters, were also evaluated. The evaluated filters included a conventional F7 fiberglass filter and three modifications of a bag-type fiberglass combination filter: the “Heavy” corresponded to a commercially available filter containing 400 g of carbon per square meter of filter area, the “Medium” contained half as much carbon (200 g/m²), and the “Light” contained a quarter as much carbon (100 g/m²). Each filter was weighed at the beginning of the soiling period and after 3 and 6 months of service. Additionally, up- and down-stream ozone concentrations and filter pressure drops were measured monthly. Following 6 months of service, the air downstream of each of the combination filters was judged to be significantly better than the air downstream of the 6-month-old F7 filter, and was comparable to that from an unused F7 filter. Additionally, the combination filters removed more ozone from the air than the F7 filter, with their respective fractional removal efficiencies roughly scaling with their carbon content.     

Optimisation and significance of ATP analysis for measuring active biomass in granular activated carbon filters used in water treatment

A method for determining the concentration of active microbial biomass in granular activated carbon (GAC) filters used in water treatment was developed to facilitate studies on the interactions between adsorption processes and biological activity in such filters. High-energy sonication at a power input of 40 W was applied to GAC samples for the detachment of biomass which was measured as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Modelling of biomass removal indicated that a series of six to eight sonication treatments of 2 min each yielded more than 90% of the attached active biomass. The ATP concentrations in 30 different GAC filters at nine treatment plants in The Netherlands ranged from 25 to 5000 ng ATP cm(-3) GAC, with the highest concentrations at long filter run times and pretreatment with ozone. A similar concentration range was observed in nine rapid sand (RS) filters. ATP concentrations correlated significantly (p<0.05) with total direct bacterial cell counts in each of these filter types, but the median value of the ATP content per cell in GAC filters (2.1 x 10(-8) ng ATP/cell) was much lower than in the RS filters (3.6 x 10(-7) ng ATP/cell). Average biofilm concentrations ranging from 500 to 10(5) pg ATP cm(-2) were calculated assuming spherical shapes for the GAC particles but values were about 20 times lower when the surface of pores >1 microm diameter is included in these calculations. The quantitative biomass analysis with ATP enables direct comparisons with biofilm concentrations reported for spiral wound membranes used in water treatment, for distribution system pipes and other aquatic environments.     

Modeling particle fate in ventilation system—Part II: Case study

In this paper the particle filter group model, which was presented in the first part of this series of study, is employed to predict particle fate in a typical ventilation system. The model simultaneously takes into account the interactions between particle transport in ventilation ducts and rooms and particle spatial distribution. It has been proven that an entire ventilation system, including filters, ducts and rooms, can be regarded as a serial of filters in steady-state cases, hence the name “particle filter group model”. With this model, the particle concentration and quantity of deposited particles in each part of the ventilation system can be easily calculated.     

Adsorption of natural organic matter oxidized with ClO2 on granular activated carbon

The paper describes the influence of the oxidation of natural organic matter (NOM) molecules with chlorine dioxide (ClO2) on granulated activated carbon (GAC) adsorption. In order to determinate the influence of ClO2 dosage on the NOM adsorption on GAC two parallel pilot scale experiments were performed. The raw water was treated respectively with 0.2 and 0.4 mg ClO2 L(-1) followed by the adsorption on GAC filters. Experiments were total organic carbon (TOC) measurements and size exclusion chromatography (SEC) controlled. The molecular weight distribution of NOM in the filtration bed outlet demonstrates that the low molecular weight molecules are less retained than the higher molecular weight components of NOM. It is shown that low molecular weight NOM causes less ClO2 demand. The oxidation of NOM molecules and very high capacity of GAC filter bed for NOM components can be used to control high ClO2 demand.     

Removal of heavy metals from storm and surface water by slow sand filtration: the importance of speciation

The removal of heavy metals from storm and surface waters by slow sand filtration is described. The importance of speciation as a technique for exploring and improving the mechanisms of removal is identified. Laboratory-scale slow sand filters operating at conventional flow rate and depth were shown to be able to reduce concentrations of selected heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Pb and Cd) found in road runoff, surface water and sewage effluents to drinking water standard. Nitrogen, volatile solids and modified Stover speciation were used to differentiate between the potential mechanisms of removal, i.e. active biomass, organic adsorption and simple adsorption or precipitation on the surface of the sand. The data presented show that adsorption via organic ligands was the predominant mechanism for metal removal at the surface of the filter but chemical adsorption was the more important deeper in the filter. In the lower layers the adsorbed metals were more easily exchanged than the organically bound metals. The precise chemical ligands were not identified and varied from metal to metal. The most important operational factors affecting performance were therefore the concentration of organic matter, filter depth and the flow velocity.     

悬浮颗粒数值模拟模型改进研究

分析了目前气粒两相流模拟研究中所使用的方法和模型，针对洁净室内悬浮颗粒极为稀疏的特点，提出了一个改进的颗粒模型，该模型中将颗粒相处理为连续介质，采用当地颗粒湍流动能与浓度梯度来模拟颗粒的扩散。用此模型对全顶棚送风下部两侧回风洁净室内悬浮颗粒的分布进行了模拟计算，与浓度模型模拟所得结果比较发现，改进模型不但在精度方面有明显提高，而且与实验值吻合良好。     

Performance test for evaluating the reduction of VOCs in rooms and evaluating the lifetime of sorptive building materials

In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of sorptive building materials in reducing volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations in air using a small test chamber. Air containing a low concentration of VOCs was supplied and any decrease in the VOC concentrations was measured at the exhaust. Seven different types of building materials were investigated: activated carbon, gypsum board mixed with a given quantity of activated carbon, board made out of activated carbon, humidity-controlling porous ceramic material, humidity-controlling silicate calcium, ceramic tile and ordinary gypsum board. We examined the sorptive performance on a mix of gases (toluene, ethylbenzene, p-xylene and styrene) in a room. Activated carbon layer was one of the sorptive building materials, and effectively reduced VOC concentrations. We measured the sorption isotherm using the sorption breakthrough capacity test, which is an effective method of evaluating the long-term reduction performance of sorptive building materials and can be measured in a relatively short period of a few hours. Experiments show that sorptive building materials are fairly effective in reducing VOC concentrations in rooms, and that this effect can be expected in practical applications.     

Modeling particle fate in ventilation system—Part I: Model development

Aerosol particles are regarded as one of the most significant pollutants in the indoor environment. These particles can travel through ventilation systems, thus impacting indoor air pollution. Accurate modeling and prediction of aerosol particle transport in ventilation systems is therefore a key component of indoor particle pollution. Since recycled air takes particles into the ventilation system again, it can be challenging to calculate the particle concentration in each part of the system. This study theoretically and experimentally proves that the entire ventilation system, including filters, ventilation ducts and ventilation rooms, can be regarded as a serial of filters in steady-state cases. We call this the particle filter group model. Equations are presented to calculate the particle concentration in each component of normal kinds of mechanical ventilation systems. With this model, the particle concentration and deposited particle quantity in each part of the ventilation system can be easily calculated. This model may help to control indoor particle pollution and guide the cleaning of ventilation ducts and filters.     

Characteristics of humic acid and organic compounds concentrated from tapwater using the aquella virus concentrator

Humic acid and other organic compounds present in eluates from filters used to process large volumes of treated tapwater using the Aquella virus concentrator were found to share certain properties. Both humic acid and the other organic compounds in the filter eluates adsorbed to membrane filters at low pH, were eluted from membrane filters at high pH, interfered with virus adsorption to membrane filters, formed flocs at low pH, and were removed by anion-exchange resins.     

Validation and application of adsorption breakthrough models for the chemical filters used in the make-up air unit (MAU) of a cleanroom

The dynamic adsorption capacity calculated from the breakthrough curves progressively decreased with the increases in the face velocity, suggesting that the effect of intraparticle diffusion and possibly the rate of adsorption as the rate-limiting mechanism were increasingly more profound for a chemical filter-type adsorber configuration. The Yoon–Nelson model generally matched well with the experimental breakthrough curved for breakthrough fraction less than 50%. However, the proportionality constant in the Yoon–Nelson model needed modification through the method from which the mass transfer coefficient (k_v) in the Wheeler–Jonas equation is determined. Subsequently, a series of breakthrough curves for the hypothetical toluene concentrations and face velocities simulating realistic operating conditions was generated, and their validity was verified against the adsorption capacity predicted by the Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm equation. The useful life of a chemical filter could henceforth be estimated with confidence using the breakthrough curves predicted by the modified Yoon–Nelson model.     

Transport of nanoparticles with dispersant through biofilm coated drinking water sand filters

This article characterizes, experimentally and theoretically, the transport and retention of engineered nanoparticles (NP) through sand filters at drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) under realistic conditions. The transport of four commonly used NPs (ZnO, CeO_2, TiO_2, and Ag, with bare surfaces and coating agents) through filter beds filled with sands from either acid washed and calcined, freshly acquired filter media, and used filter media from active filter media, were investigated. The study was conducted using water obtained upstream of the sand filter at DWTP. The results have shown that capping agents have a determinant importance in the colloidal stability and transport of NPs through the different filter media. The presence of the biofilm in used filter media increased adsorption of NPs but its effects in retaining capped NPs was less significant. The data was used to build a mathematical model based on the advection-dispersion equation. The model was used to simulate the performance of a scale-up sand filter and the effects on filtration cycle of traditional sand filtration system used in DWTPs.     

Application of the self-organizing map (SOM) to assess the heavy metal removal performance in experimental constructed wetlands

The self-organizing map (SOM) model was applied to elucidate heavy metal removal mechanisms and to predict heavy metal concentrations in experimental constructed wetlands treating urban runoff. A newly developed SOM map showed that nickel in constructed wetland filters is likely to leach under high conductivity in combination with low pH in winter. In contrast, influent pH and conductivity were not shown to have clear relationships with copper (Cu) concentrations in the effluent, suggesting that the mobility of Cu was not considerably affected by salt increase during winter. The accuracy of prediction with SOM was highly satisfactory, suggesting heavy metals can be efficiently estimated by applying the SOM model with input variables such as conductivity, pH, temperature and redox potential, which can be monitored in real time. Moreover, domain understanding was not required to implement the SOM model for prediction of heavy metal removal efficiencies.