AAAR 37th Annual Conference October 14 - October 18, 2019 Oregon Convention Center Portland, Oregon, USA
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Design, Fabrication, and Evaluation of Stationary Electrostatic Bioaerosol Sampler (SEBS) with High Concentration Rate
TAEWON HAN, Nirmala Thomas, Sydonia Manibusan, Gediminas Mainelis, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Abstract Number: 266 Working Group: Bioaerosols
Abstract We further advanced our liquid-based electrostatic precipitator with the hydrophobic surface for improved bioaerosol sampling performance, including better maintenance of sample viability and culturability during long-term sampling. This stationary electrostatic bioaerosol sampler (SEBS) incorporates a novel wire-to-wire charger and a newly designed removable collector. SEBS deposits airborne microorganisms onto a narrow, removable, stainless steel electrode (3.2 mm×127 mm) coated by a hydrophobic substance (e.g., commercially available water repellent spray) and then the electrode is transferred into the particle removal system, which is fabricated by 3D printing. The removal system allows using 20-40 microliter droplets that result in very high sample concentration rate. SEBS has been developed as a stand-alone, battery-operated and field-deployable bioaerosol sampler with high concentration rate capable of determining long-term exposures to airborne microorganisms.
The latest SEBS version showed an actual collection efficiency of approximately 60-70% when sampling B. atrophaeus bacteria and P. chrysogenum fungal spores at 20 L/min for as long as 240 min at ~103-104/liter microorganism concentrations. The use of collection droplet of 40 microliters resulted in sample concentration rates of up to 3×105/min. In addition, the device produced very low ozone concentrations (<10 ppb). In the next development stage, SEBS will be tested against other bioaerosol samplers capable of long-term collection, e.g., SASS 2400 (Research International, Monroe, WA) when sampling bioaerosols for 240 min or longer in various indoor, occupational, and outdoor environments. The sampler’s physical collection efficiency, viability, and culturability of collected microorganisms will be determined using microscopy, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), flow cytometry (Live/Dead test), and culture techniques. The ultimate project goal is to have a reliable bioaerosol sampler capable of long-term particle collection while preserving bioaerosol viability and culturability.