CFD assessment on particulate matter filters performance in urban areas

Particulate matter (PM) in the air is one of the several challenges that densely built urban areas are facing today, and the severe health risks that PM poses to a city's inhabitants are well known. While the sources of increase in PM levels could arise from a combination of several factors, it is imperative to take the necessary measures to maintain a 'healthy' city. One such measure is to install air treatment systems that filter out PM from the surrounding air. The effectiveness of such air treatment units in an urban setting is investigated using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). For the configuration used in this study, the mean performance of filters in reducing the uniform background PM levels is found to be approximately 11.4%. If PM sources due to traffic is also included, then the mean performance of filters in reducing the increased ambient PM levels is 7.6%. This study shows that introduction of such air treatment systems are generally effective in reducing outdoor PM levels and can be considered as one of the mitigation measures to improve the air quality.