Loss processes affecting submicrometer particles in a house heavily affected by road traffic emissions

The fraction of outdoor aerosol that penetrates into indoor environments plays an important role in determining the contribution of outdoor particles to the total lung dose of particles in human exposure. The objective of this study was to investigate the physical processes affecting migration of outdoor traffic particles into indoor environments. Particle number size distributions were measured by a fast mobility particle sizer system in both indoor and outdoor environments of a house located in close proximity to a busy street in Bologna (Italy) in the period February–April 2012. Indoor to outdoor (I/O) ratios for submicron particle number concentrations showed strong dependence on particle size and meteorological conditions. The loss rates of particles due to deposition, coagulation, and evaporation were determined using dynamic mass balance and coagulation models. Higher loss rates were found for small particles (nucleation and Aitken mode) indoors than for larger particles (accumulation mode). The coagulation and evaporation processes made a significant contribution to the loss of traffic nanoparticles indoors, especially during the day time. Application of positive matrix factorization to the indoor and outdoor particle size distributions showed a substantial loss of traffic-generated nucleation mode particles in the indoor environment, with evaporation playing a major role.

Copyright © 2017 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Physicochemical properties and oxidative potential of fine particles produced from coal combustion

Abstract

The physical and chemical properties as well as the oxidative potential (OP) of water soluble components of coal combustion fine particles were examined. A laboratory-scale pulverized-coal burning system was used to produce coal combustion particles at different burning temperatures of 550?°C, 700?°C, 900?°C, and 1,100?°C. Few studies have reported the effects of burning temperature on both the chemistry and toxicity of coal combustion particles. The highest mass emission factor of particulate matter less than 2.5?µm (PM_2.5) was found to be produced at 700?°C (3.51?g/kg), owing to strong elemental carbon (EC) emission and ash formation (ions and elements) resulting from the incomplete combustion of tar and char, and mineral fragmentation. The highest organic carbon in PM_2.5 was found at 550?°C. At a temperature higher than 700?°C, the fraction of carbonaceous species decreased while the fractions of ions and elements increased owing to ash formation. Sulfate was found to be the dominant ionic species, followed by sodium, calcium, and magnesium. The highest emission of elements (Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, Ti, V, and Zn) and the highest fractions of Fe and Al were observed at 700?°C. Intrinsic OP activities obtained from dithiothreitol (DTT) and electron spin resonance (ESR) assays showed the highest values at 550?°C, suggesting that fine particles from low-temperature coal combustion had the highest reactive oxygen species generation capability (potentially toxic) among various tested burning temperatures. The results of principal component analysis suggested a correlation between OP-DTT activity and OC, EC, Cd, Co, V, and Zn, while OP-ESR activity was associated with chloride, nitrate, Ba, Pb, Sr, and Ti.

© 2018 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Calibration of a particle mass spectrometer using polydispersed aerosol particles

Routine calibrations of online aerosol chemical composition analyzers are important for assessing data quality during field measurements. The combination of a differential mobility analyzer (DMA) and condensation particle counter (CPC) is a reliable, conventional method for calibrations. However, some logistical issues arise, including the use of radioactive material, quality control, and deployment costs. Herein, we propose a new, simple calibration method for a particle mass spectrometer using polydispersed aerosol particles combined with an optical particle sizer. We used a laser-induced incandescence–mass spectrometric analyzer (LII-MS) to test the new method. Polydispersed aerosol particles of selected chemical compounds (ammonium sulfate and potassium nitrate) were generated by an aerosol atomizer. The LII section was used as an optical particle sizer for measuring number/volume size distributions of polydispersed aerosol particles. The calibration of the MS section was performed based on the mass concentrations of polydispersed aerosol particles estimated from the integration of the volume size distributions. The accuracy of the particle sizing for each compound is a key issue and was evaluated by measuring optical pulse height distributions for monodispersed ammonium sulfate and potassium nitrate particles as well as polystyrene latex particles. A comparison of the proposed method with the conventional DMA-CPC method and its potential uncertainties are discussed.

Copyright © 2018 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Repeatability and intermediate precision of a mass concentration calibration system

Many aerosol instruments require calibration to make accurate measurements. A centrifugal particle mass analyzer (CPMA) and aerosol electrometer can be used to calibrate aerosol instruments that measure mass concentration. To understand the sources of uncertainty in the calibration method, two CPMA-electrometer systems were tested to measure the repeatability and intermediate precision of the system, where the repeatability is the standard deviation of several measurements using the same system over a short period of time, and the intermediate precision is the standard deviation of several measurements using different instruments with different calibrations over a long period of time. It was found that the repeatability of the CPMA and the aerosol electrometer were both 0.8%, while the intermediate precision was 1.3% and 2.2%, respectively. The intermediate precision of the aerosol electrometers determined here compares well with a broader study by national metrology institutes which determined an intermediate precision of ～1.7%. By propagation of uncertainty, it is expected that a CPMA-electrometer system would have repeatability of 1.1% and an intermediate precision of ～2.1%. This compares favorably to thermal-optical analysis methods which aim to measure black carbon mass concentrations for instrument calibration, which have a repeatability in the range of 8.5–20% and reproducibility in the range of 20–26% for elemental carbon. Thus, the CPMA-electrometer method may be a good alternative to existing instrument calibration procedures.

Copyright © 2019 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Influence of flame-generated ions on the simultaneous charging and coagulation of nanoparticles during combustion

Flames generate a large amount of chemically and thermally ionized species, which are involved in the growth dynamics of particles formed in flames. However, existing models predicting particle formation and growth do not consider particle charging, which may lead to bias in the calculated size distribution of particles. In this study, Fuchs' charging theory was coupled with a monodisperse particle growth model to study the simultaneous charging and coagulation of nanoparticles during combustion. In order to quantify the charging characteristics of nanoparticles, a high-resolution DMA was used to measure the mobilities of ions generated from a premixed flat flame operated at various conditions. The effect of temperature on ion–particle and particle–particle combination coefficients was further examined. The proposed model showed that the influence of charging on particle growth dynamics was more prominent when the ion concentration was comparable to or higher than the particle concentrations, a condition that may be encountered in flame synthesis and solid fuel-burning. Simulated results also showed that unipolar ion environments strongly suppressed the coagulation of particles. In the end, a simplified analysis of the relative importance of particle charging and coagulation was proposed by comparing the characteristic time scales of these two mechanisms.

© 2017 American Association for Aerosol Research     

A collection of experimental data for aerosol monitoring cyclones

Cyclone behavior is complex and difficult to model. Recent years have seen the development of new and better predictive models for cyclone performance, which are providing new insights into how cyclone performance is affected by cyclone geometry. Experimental data are essential for verification of such models. In this article we present a dataset of more than 250 experimental determinations of cyclone penetration. The dataset includes cyclones with a wide range of sizes and geometries, tested at a wide range of flow rates. We illustrate some empirical, semi-empirical and mathematical approaches to modeling these cyclone data. For our data, we show that mathematical modeling approaches developed for large gas-cleaning cyclones can also be applied to small aerosol monitoring cyclones, to diverse cyclone geometries, and laminar flow operating conditions.

Copyright © Crown copyright     

Characteristics of secondhand electronic cigarette aerosols from active human use

The electronic cigarette (EC) is a new source of indoor airborne particles. To better understand the impacts of secondhand vaping (SHV) emissions on indoor air quality, real-time measurements of particle size distribution, particle number concentration (PNC), fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), CO₂, CO, and formaldehyde were conducted before, during, and after 10 min EC-use among 13 experienced users in an 80 m³ room. To assess particle transport in the room, multiple sampling locations were set up at 0.8, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 m away from the subjects. The arithmetic mean (standard deviation) of background PNC and PM_2.5 concentrations in the room were 6.39 × 10³ (1.58 × 10²) particles/cm³ and 8 (1) μg/m³, respectively. At 0.8 m away from EC users, right after initiation of puffing, the PNC and PM_2.5 concentrations can reach a peak of ～10⁵ particles/cm³ and ～3 × 10³ µg/m³, respectively, and then dropped quickly to background levels within 20 s due to dilution and evaporation. At the 0.8 m sampling location, the mean PNC and PM_2.5 concentrations during puffing were 2.48 × 10⁴ (2.14 × 10⁴) particles/cm³ and 188 (433) µg/m³, respectively. In addition, two modes of SHV particles were observed at about 15 and 85 nm. Moreover, concentrations of SHV particles were negatively correlated with the distances to EC users. At the 1.5 m location, PNC and PM_2.5 levels were 9.91 × 10³ (1.76 × 10³) particles/cm³ and 19 (14) µg/m³, respectively. Large variations of mean PNC levels exhaled per puff were observed both within and between EC users. Data presented in this study can be used for SHV particle exposure assessment.

Copyright © 2017 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Effect of convergence angle on impactor performance

Two nozzles, modified and original, were tested in a sampler that was placed in a wind tunnel and penetration efficiencies, √Stk50, and slope of the performance curve were determined by challenging the sampler with fluorescent-tagged monodisperse test aerosol particles having known concentration. It was shown that a change in convergence angle of the modified nozzle can affect impactor performance. The √Stk50 for original and modified nozzles were 0.57 and 0.49, respectively. The slope of the efficiency curve for original and modified nozzles was 1.52 and 1.36, respectively.

© 2017 American Association for Aerosol Research     

A novel inversion method to determine the mass distribution of non-refractory coatings on refractory black carbon using a centrifugal particle mass analyzer and single particle soot photometer

A novel inversion method is presented, which derives the two-variable number distribution for black carbon aerosol, using a coupled centrifugal particle mass analyzer (CPMA) and single particle soot photometer (SP2). The CPMA classifies all particles by their mass-to-charge ratio, and the SP2 detects the mass of refractive black carbon (rBC) in each individual particle. The results of the inversion are the simultaneous number distributions of both rBC mass and total particle mass. Using the distribution, the coating distribution on a population of rBC particles can be identified visually. Furthermore, the distribution can be integrated to find one-variable mass and number concentration distributions as a function of total or rBC particle mass. These capabilities were demonstrated via smog chamber experiments, where an organic (non-rBC) coating was grown onto uncoated rBC aerosol over several hours via photo-oxidation of p-xylene. The particle distributions were constructed using the inversion over a range of 1–60 fg of total particle mass. As the non-rBC coating thickness increased over time, a shift in the number distribution toward higher total mass was observed. At the end of the experiment, uncoated rBC was injected into the chamber, and the distribution was clearly resolved using the inversion. The CPMA-SP2 method offers several advantages over “SP-2 only” methods, namely, (i) coating mass information can be obtained over a wider range of total particle mass, (ii) total particle mass is measured directly, and (iii) it does not make core–shell morphology assumptions.

Copyright © 2018 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Preliminary investigation of a water-based method for fast integrating mobility spectrometry

A water-based condensational growth channel was developed for imaging mobility-separated particles within a parallel plate separation channel of the Fast Integrated Mobility Spectrometer (FIMS). Reported are initial tests of that system, in which the alcohol condenser of the FIMS was replaced by a water-based condensational growth channel. Tests with monodispersed sodium chloride aerosol verify that the water-condensational growth maintained the laminar flow, while providing sufficient growth for particle imaging. Particle positions mapped onto particle mobility, in accordance with theoretical expectations. Particles ranging in size from 12 nm to 100 nm were counted with the same efficiency as with a butanol-based ultrafine particle counter, once inlet and line losses were taken into account.

Copyright © 2017 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Collection of hydrophilic and hydrophobic charged submicron particles by charged water droplets

An experimental system capable of measuring the collection efficiency of charged submicron particles by charged water droplets is described. Collection efficiencies are measured for both hydrophilic and hydrophobic particles to clarify the effect of wettability on collection. Excellent agreement with the theory is obtained for hydrophilic submicron particles when the Coulombic force is dominant. No significant difference in collection efficiencies between hydrophilic and hydrophobic particles is observed. It is concluded that the wettability of submicron particles has no effect on its collection by water drops when Coulombic attraction is the dominant mechanism.     

Adhesion of charged particles

The adhesion properties of charged particles are of considerable importance in the electrophotographic process. Measurements on irregularly-shaped, pigmented particles, called toner in the electrophotographic industry, show that adhesion increases with toner charge but that the magnitude is much larger than expected from a simplified electrostatic image force model. An enhanced electrostatic adhesion is also seen in electric field detachment measurements on spherical charged particles. In both cases, this unexpected large adhesion can be attributed to a nonuniform distribution of charge on the surfaces of the particles.     

荷电水雾脱除超细颗粒物的研究进展

综述了荷电水雾脱除超细颗粒物的作用机理和影响因素,分析了荷电水雾脱除燃煤电厂烟气中超细颗粒物及综合脱除其它燃煤污染物的可行性,指出利用荷电水雾对燃煤电厂烟气进行处理能够有效提高传统静电除尘器对超细颗粒物的脱除效率,并能实现燃煤污染物的联合脱除,应用前景广阔。     

Synthesis of nanometer alumina particles by plasma transferred arc alternative

The gas to particle conversion refers to the production of condensed particles from individual atoms or molecules in the gas phase. The particle formation is thus driven by the cooling of a supersaturated vapour. High temperatures and hence high energy sources such as hydrocarbon flames, laser beams or hot wall reactors are generally necessary. In the current work, a new and original method has been developed. A transferred arc is used to produce nanometric particles from the condensation of metallic vapours obtained by controlling the evaporation of the anode material.     

均匀沉淀法制备纳米氧化物研究进展

分析了均匀沉淀法制备纳米粒子的理论基础和反应原理 ,并综述了过饱和度、反应温度及时间、煅烧温度及时间、反应物配比以及表面活性剂对纳米氧化物粒径的影响     

Adhesion forces of charged particles

Adhesion forces of toner and polymer particles to aluminum substrates were measured by the centrifugal, detachment field and microelectrode detachment field methods, and factors affecting the adhesion forces are discussed. The adhesion forces of toner particles increased with an increase in either particle size or particle charge. The adhesion force of an irregularly shaped toner was larger than that of a spherical toner. The mean adhesion force of polymer particles to aluminum substrates decreased with an increase in surface roughness of the substrates. The CF₄ plasma treatment of the polymer particles shifted their adhesion force distribution in a smaller direction. It was confirmed that the results by the centrifugal and the detachment field methods were in good agreement with each other. The contribution of van der Waals, electrostatic and water bridging forces to the adhesion forces of toner particles are also discussed.     

微乳液技术在纳米粒子制备中的应用

由于对控制微粒尺寸具有独特的优势 ,微乳液方法制备纳米材料正在引起人们的极大兴趣。介绍了微乳液方法及其微反应器的形成和结构 ,讨论了影响微乳液法制备纳米粒子形态和大小等方面的因素及应用研究进展。     

多元醇还原制备Co纳米粉产品表征及机理研究

采用二价钴盐为前驱物、1,2-丙二醇为还原剂,用液相还原法制备了晶粒尺寸约为10nm、面心立方(β相)结构的纯度高、粒度均匀的纳米钴粉,运用XRD、TEM等分析方法对制备的纳米钴粉进行物相和结构形貌的表征。通过对还原反应前后体系的红外光谱分析,初步研究了多元醇法还原Co纳米粉的反应机理。     

Coagulation of bipolarly charged ultrafine aerosol particles

Particle charging during coagulational growth is widely used in material synthesis processes as well as with industrial particle removal equipment. Coagulation behavior of charged particles is significantly different from that of neutral particles. To calculate the change in size/charge distribution of particles undergoing bipolar coagulation, a two-dimensional sectional model has been usually used. This method, however, needs considerable computation time although it gives very accurate prediction. In this study, the moment model, to solve the bipolar coagulation problem in the free-molecule regime, was developed to provide a time-efficient tool. Simultaneous particle charging by bipolar ions was also considered in this study. The developed model is based on the assumption that particles cannot have more than one unit charge and the particle size distribution remains log normal. The developed model was compared to the two-dimensional sectional model, with good agreement being shown. Some characteristics of bipolar coagulation were investigated using the developed model. The bipolar coagulation with simultaneous bipolar diffusion charging was shown to significantly increase the coagulation rate compared to the neutral Brownian coagulation. It was also shown from the simulation results that if one needs a higher coagulation rate in the initial stage, bipolar coagulation without ions is recommended, while bipolar coagulation with simultaneous charging by bipolar ions should be used if one wants a high coagulation rate for a long time.     

超细二氧化锆干燥方式探讨

介绍了几种常用的制备纳米粉体的干燥方法。研究了水热反应制备二氧化锆粉体过程中，直接干燥法、共沸蒸镏和超临界干燥3种常用的干燥方法对最终产品粒子大小和微观形态的影响。通过比较，直接干燥法制备的纳米粒子粒径大于100nm，而采用共沸蒸馏和超临界干燥制得的粉体分散性好，可制备出粒径小于10nm的粉体。因此，共沸蒸馏和超临界干燥法是良好的干燥方法。