Electric charge effect of micro-droplets generated by electrospray atomization on removal of indoor fine particulate matter

Airborne particulate matter (PM) can cause critical health issues due to its adverse effects on human health. Given that people usually spend more than 90% of their time indoors, controlling the mass concentration of indoor PM is very important. Although many studies on indoor PM removal have been conducted, they are mostly limited to filtration techniques. In addition, studies about practical techniques that ecan be directly applied to an indoor environment are relatively scarce. In this article, the PM removal effects of electro-charged water droplets through electrospray atomization were experimentally investigated by quantitatively monitoring the PM concentration inside a test chamber. The PM removal efficiency and the deposition constant were examined with varying electric charges of atomized water droplets, and cigarette and incense smokes were used as indoor PMs. The electric charge was measured by using a Faraday cup with an electrometer to validate the electrostatic effect on PM removal. Analytical deposition constant was obtained to evaluate the effect of elec-trostatic force of the charged droplets on PM removal. The analytical deposition constant was obtained based on the experimental results, such as the electric charges and mean diameter of the water droplets and the PM concentration. The analytical deposition constants were compared with the experimental ones. This electrospray system would be utilized to demonstrate its applicability in real life for effective indoor PM removal.

Automated summary

This study experimentally investigated the PM removal effects of electro-charged water droplets through electrospray atomization by quantitatively monitoring the PM concentration inside a test chamber. The results showed that the electrically charged water droplets have a significant impact on PM removal efficiency and deposition constant. The electrospray system can be utilized in real life to effectively remove indoor PM.