Electrostatic effects in asbestos sampling. I: Experimental measurements

Multifunctional Filter Membranes Based on Self-Assembled Core-Shell Biodegradable Nanofibers for Persistent Electrostatic Filtration through the Triboelectric Effect

The massive production of polymer-based respiratory masks during the COVID-19 pandemic has rekindled the issue of environmental pollution from nonrecyclable plastic waste. To mitigate this problem, conventional filters should be redesigned with improved filtration performance over the entire operational life while also being naturally degradable at the end. Herein, we developed a functional and biodegradable polymeric filter membrane consisting of a polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) matrix blended with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and montmorillonite (MMT) clay, whose surface properties have been modified through cation exchange reactions for good miscibility with PBAT in an organic solvent. Particularly, the spontaneous evolution of a partial core-shell structure (i.e., PBAT core encased by CTAB-MMT shell) during the electrospinning process amplified the triboelectric effect as well as the antibacterial/antiviral activity that was not observed in naive PBAT. Unlike the conventional face mask filter that relies on the electrostatic adsorption mechanism, which deteriorates over time and/or due to external environmental factors, the PBAT@CTAB-MMT nanofiber membrane (NFM)-based filter continuously retains electrostatic charges on the surface due to the triboelectric effect of CTAB-MMT. As a result, the PBAT@CTAB-MMT NFM-based filter showed high filtration efficiencies (98.3%, PM_0.3) even at a low differential pressure of 40 Pa or less over its lifetime. Altogether, we not only propose an effective and practical solution to improve the performance of filter membranes while minimizing their environmental footprint but also provide valuable insight into the synergetic functionalities of organic-inorganic hybrid materials for applications beyond filter membranes.

Evaluation of total and inhalable samplers for the collection of carbon nanotube and carbon nanofiber aerosols

A growing number of carbon nanotubes and nanofibers (CNT/F) exposure and epidemiologic studies have utilized 25-mm and 37-mm open-faced cassettes (OFC) to assess the inhalable aerosol fraction. It has been previously established that the 37-mm OFC under-samples particles greater than 20 μm in diameter, but the size-selective characteristics of the 25-mm OFC have not yet been fully evaluated. This article describes an experimental study conducted to determine if the 25- and 37-mm OFCs performed with relative equivalence to a reference inhalable aerosol sampler when challenged with CNT/F particles. Side-by-side paired samples were collected within a small Venturi chamber using a 25-mm styrene OFC, 37-mm styrene OFC, 25-mm aluminum OFC, and Button Inhalable Aerosol Sampler. Three types of CNT/F materials and an Arizona road dust were used as challenge aerosols for the various sampler configurations. Repeated experiments were conducted for each sampler configuration and material. The OFC samplers operated at flow rates of 2 and 5 liters per minute. Results showed that the 25-mm OFC performed comparably to the Button Sampler when challenged with CNT/F aerosols, which was demonstrated in five of the six experimental scenarios with an average error of 20%. Overall, the results of this study indicate that the sampling efficiency of the 25- and 37-mm OFCs adequately followed the ISO/ACGIH/CEN inhalable sampling convention when challenged with CNT/F aerosols. Past exposure and epidemiologic studies that used these OFC samplers can directly compare their results to studies that have used other validated inhalable aerosol samplers.

Quartz in coal dust deposited on internal surface of respirable size selective samplers

The objective of the present study is to quantify quartz mass in coal dust deposited on the internal cassette surface of respirable size-selective samplers. Coal dust was collected with four different respirable size-selective samplers (10 mm Dorr-Oliver nylon [Sensidyne, St. Petersburg, Fla.], SKC Aluminum [SKC Inc., Eighty Four, Pa.], BGI4L [BGI USA Inc., Waltham, Mass.], and GK2.69 cyclones [BGI USA Inc.]) with two different cassette types (polystyrene and static-dissipative polypropylene cassettes). The coal dust was aerosolized in a calm air chamber by using a fluidized bed aerosol generator without neutralization under the assumption that the procedure is similar to field sampling conditions. The mass of coal dust was measured gravimetrically and quartz mass was determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Manual of Analytical Methods, Method 7603. The mass fractions of the total quartz sample on the internal cassette surface are significantly different between polystyrene and static-dissipative cassettes for all cyclones (p < 0.05). No consistent relationship between quartz mass on cassette internal surface and coal dust filter mass was observed. The BGI4L cyclone showed a higher (but not significantly) and the GK2.69 cyclone showed a significantly lower (p < 0.05) internal surface deposit quartz mass fraction for polystyrene cassettes compared to other cyclones. This study confirms previous observations that the interior surface deposits in polystyrene cassettes attached to cyclone pre-selectors can be a substantial part of the sample, and therefore need to be included in any analysis for accurate exposure assessment. On the other hand, the research presented here supports the position that the internal surface deposits in static-dissipative cassettes used with size-selective cyclones are negligible and that it is only necessary to analyze the filter catch.