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Application and In-Field Assessment of a High Flow Rate Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP) in Collecting Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) for Toxicological Studies
MILAD PIRHADI, Amirhosein Mousavi, Constantinos Sioutas, University of Southern California
Abstract Number: 87
Working Group: Instrumentation and Methods
Abstract
We evaluated the performance of a high flow rate electrostatic precipitator (ESP) as a fine particulate matter (PM2.5) collector to be used in toxicological studies. Optimum operational configuration of the ESP was determined based on the particle collection efficiency and associated ozone production of the instrument. Particle collection efficiency of the ESP was evaluated using various laboratory-generated aerosols such as NaCl and monodisperse polystyrene latex particles under different flow rates (i.e., 50, 75, and 100 lpm) and applied voltages (i.e., 8, 10, and 12 kV). The operating flow rate of 75 lpm and applied voltage of 12 kV were selected as the optimum configuration. On average, around 85% particle collection efficiency and 17 ppb ozone concentration were observed downstream of the instrument. Furthermore, field tests under the optimum configuration of the ESP were conducted at Los Angeles to assess the performance of our ESP under the ambient conditions. Chemical composition and oxidative potential of the PM2.5 samples collected on the ESP substrates were compared with those collected by versatile aerosol concentration enrichment system (VACES) operating in parallel including filters from VACES-diffusion dryer and PM slurries from VACES-BioSampler. Results showed that the ESP can preserve the labile species (i.e., total organic carbon and inorganic ions) more efficiently than the filters. The intrinsic oxidative potential of the PM samples collected on the ESP substrates was also higher than that of filters, most probably due to better preservation of the semi-volatile organic components. Nevertheless, concentration of the labile species and PM intrinsic oxidative potential of the samples collected by the ESP were rather lower than those in slurries collected by the VACES-BioSampler. In conclusion, considering the high flow rate of our ESP and its ability to collect PM samples accurately, it can efficiently be utilized in toxicological studies.