<p>Ultrafine particles (UFP) emitted by traffic have been associated with health risks for people living and working near major roadways. Studies have shown that people living in near-roadway communities experience higher risk of aggravated asthma, respiratory diseases and even childhood leukemia. Sharp concentration gradients of UFP have been reported near major highways with the concentration decreasing rapidly away from the road. Dispersion of UFP downwind of a road depends on many parameters, such as the atmospheric stability and wind speed. Presence of different structures such as noise barriers and vegetation can greatly influence the dispersion and downwind concentrations of UFP. These structures can block the traffic emissions and increase vertical mixing. In addition, vegetation can reduce UFP by deposition processes. Two sets of experiments were conducted in this thesis to investigate the effect of barriers on UFP deposition and dispersion. </p><p>The first set of experiments was performed in a wind tunnel facility to address UFP deposition to vegetation barriers solely. Two analytical models were proposed to characterize UFP dry deposition to vegetation measured during the wind tunnel experiment. The first model was derived from the filtration theory to explain UFP dry deposition to pine and juniper branches. The model agrees well with the experimental data indicating that pine and juniper branches can be treated as fibrous filters. The fiber diameters of pine derived from the experimental data were also similar to the physical diameters of pine needles; thus, providing further evidence that vegetation can be regarded as fibers. The second model was derived from the continuity equation and can predict the branch-scale dry deposition of UFP using conventional canopy properties such as the drag coefficient and leaf area density. Both models agree with the measurement results to within 20%.</p><p>The second set of experiments was done in three near-roadway environments to investigate the effects of barriers on the dispersion and dry deposition of UFP. We used mobile and stationary measurements to obtain the spatial and temporal variability of UFP. Both mobile and stationary measurements indicated that vegetation and noise barriers can reduce downwind UFP concentrations through dispersion and dry deposition by 20-60 %. </p><p>In conclusion, the effect of barriers on UFP dispersion and deposition has been characterized in this thesis. Two analytical models were also proposed from the wind tunnel experiments to characterize dry deposition and agreed well with the measurement results. The analytical model could benefit future climate and air quality models.</p> / Dissertation

Numerous studies have shown that respirable particles contribute to adverse human health outcomes including discomfort in irritated airways, increased asthma attacks, irregular heartbeat, non-fatal heart attacks, and even death. Particle emissions from diesel vehicles are a major source of airborne particles in urban areas. In response to energy security and global climate regulations, the use of biodiesel as an alternative fuel for petrodiesel has significantly increased in recent years. Particle emissions from diesel engines are highly dependent on fuel composition and, as such, the increased use of biodiesel in diesel vehicles may potentially change the concentration, size, and composition of particles in respirable air. One indicator used to evaluate the potential health risk of these particles to humans is particle diameter (Dp). Ultrafine particles (UFPs, Dp Current research in automotive emissions primarily focuses on particle emissions measured on a total particle mass (PM) basis from heavy-duty diesel vehicles. The nation's light-duty diesel fleet is, however, increasing; and because the mass of a UFP is much less than that of larger particles, the total PM metric is not sufficient for characterization of UFP emissions. As such, this research focuses on light-duty diesel engine transient UFP emissions, measured by particle number (PN), from petrodiesel, biodiesel, and blends thereof. The research objectives were to determine: 1) the difference in UFP emissions between petrodiesel and blends of waste vegetable oil-based biodiesel (WVO), 2) the differences between UFP emissions from blends of WVO and soybean oil-based biodiesel (SOY), and 3) the feasibility of using genetic programming (GP) to select the primary engine operating parameters needed to predict UFP emissions from different blends of biodiesel. The results of this research are significant in that: 1) Total UFP number emission rates (ERs) exhibited a non-monotonic increasing trend relative to biodiesel content of the fuel for both WVO and SOY that is contrary to the majority of prior studies and suggests that certain intermediate biodiesel bends may produce lower UFP emissions than lower and higher blends, 2) The data collected corroborate reports in the literature that fuel consumption of diesel engines equipped with pump-line-nozzle fuel injection systems can increase with biodiesel content of the fuel without operational changes, 3) WVO biodiesel blends reduced the overall mean diameter of the particle distribution relative to petrodiesel more so than SOY biodiesel blends, and 4) Feature selection using genetic programming (GP) suggests that the primary model inputs needed to predict total UFP emissions are exhaust manifold temperature, intake manifold air temperature, mass air flow, and the percentage of biodiesel in the fuel; These are different than inputs typically used for emissions modeling such as engine speed, throttle position, and torque suggesting that UFP emissions modeling could be improved by using other commonly measured engine operating parameters.

Ultrafine particles (UFPs) with diameters smaller than 100 nm are omnipresent in ambient air. They are important sources for fine particles produced through the agglomeration and/or vapor condensation. With their unique properties, UFPs have also been manufactured for industrial applications. But, from the toxicological and health perspective, ultrafine particles with high surface-to-volume ratios often have high bio-availability and toxicity. Many recent epidemiologic studies have evidence UFPs are highly relevant to human health and disease. In order to better investigate UFPs, better instrumentation and measurement techniques for UFPs are thus in need. The overall objective of this dissertation is to advance out current knowledge on UFPs generation and measurement. Accordingly, it has two major parts: (1) ultrafine particle generation for laboratory aerosol research via electrospray (ES), and (2) ultrafine particle measurement for ambient aerosol monitor and personal exposure study via the development of a cost-effective and compact electrical mobility particle sizer. In the first part, to provide monodisperse nanoparticles, a new single capillary electrospray with a soft X-ray photoionizer as a charge reduction scheme has been developed. The soft X-ray effects on electrospray operation, particle size distribution and particle charge reduction were evaluated. To generate ultrafine particles with sufficient mass concentration for exposure/toxicity study, a TSE twin-head electrospray (THES) was evaluated, as well. The configuration and operational variables of the studied THES has been optimized. Three different nanoparticle suspensions were sprayed to investigate material difference. In the second part, to develop a miniature electrical mobility based ultrafine particle sizer (mini e-UPS), a new mini-plate aerosol charger and a new mini-plate differential mobility analyzer (DMA) have been developed. The performances of mini-plate charger and mini-plate DMA were carefully evaluated for ultrafine particles, including intrinsic/extrinsic charging, extrinsic charge distribution, DMA sizing accuracy and DMA transfer function. A prototype mini e-UPS was then assembled and tested by laboratory generated aerosol. Also a constrained least square method was applied to recover the particle size distribution from the current measured by a mini Faraday Cage aerosol electrometer.

Fine particle separation is a grand challenge in the mining and mineral processing industry. The industry standard process, froth flotation, is extremely robust and adaptable; however, it is inefficient for particles less than 20 microns. Owing to this limitation, some mining sectors, such as coal, opt to discard the ultrafine particles to waste impoundments as the costs to recover and dewater these materials are prohibitive. The Hydrophilic Hydrophobic Process (HHS) is one alternative to flotation that uses a recyclable solvent, rather than air bubbles, to selectively recover fine hydrophobic particles. Prior laboratory, proof-of-concept, and demonstration-scale testing has shown that the HHS process is extremely efficient, having no effective size limitation. The purpose of this research was to continue the development and improvement of the HHS process, through the design, construction, and testing of a mobile pilot plant. The pilot plant would in turn be used to demonstrate the robustness of the HHS process through a systemic study of multiple coal sources and ranks. In addition, the pilot plant would serve as a testbed for inquiry-based process intensification, the development and evaluation of design criteria for the various unit operation. Through the course of this research, a 50 lb./hr. (product rate) pilot plant was constructed and commissioned. Initial investigations focused on the shakedown and design of key unit operations, including the agglomeration and de-emulsification (i.e. Morganizing) steps. Studies showed that the initial design of these units, namely pump induced mixing in agglomeration and packed bed emulsification in the Morganizer, were not adequate to meet production demands, and as such, these stages were redesigned after appropriate fundamental evaluations. After implementing the design changes, the pilot plant was successfully operated over a 7-month period, routinely producing bituminous products with less than6% ash and less than 10% moisture as well as anthracite products with less than 3% ash and less than 4% moisture. This study also evaluated a new approach to de-emulsification using a jig based Morganizer in place of the standard oscillating column Morganizer. The jig utilizes a pulsing mechanism to move liquid to break up agglomerates versus the mechanical disk stack. Preliminary results showed that the jig Morganizer was comparable to the oscillating unit at more than half the size. This new design provides a pathway for reduced cost, footprint, and improved scalability. Lastly, this study evaluated both the HHS process and dual-scan X-ray based particle sorting as means of increasing the REE content of coal-based materials. Data from a pilot-scale x-ray sorter showed the unit was capable of preconcentrating REEs to over 300 ppm, while data from the HHS similarly showed the process was capable of REE recoveries of 85-90% and of preconcentrating REEs above 300 ppm. Altogether, these results indicate That both of these technologies are capable of efficiently and cost effectively preconcentrate REEs from wastes streams at operating coal preparation plants. / Doctor of Philosophy / The mining sector has traditionally been a large producer of waste, with the vast majority of this waste being ultrafine particles that are unable to be recovered using conventional technologies. These particles are often disposed of in large surface impoundments, which are an environmental and social liability in many mining districts. This study has evaluated a novel method of fine particle separation, the hydrophobic-hydrophilic separation (HHS) process. The HHS process uses a recyclable oil to selectively agglomerate fine particles, which are subsequently dispersed and recovered. The oil is then filtered and recycled within the process creating an approach that is both efficient and environmentally friendly. In this study, a mobile pilot HHS plant was constructed and tested, with the results showing that the HHS can effectively recover fine carbon from waste coals, thus turning an environmental liability into a potential value stream for high-end applications. In addition, the study showed that the process can be further improved to reduce costs while improving overall efficiency. Overall, this study has provided the data needed to further commercialize the HHS process. If widely deployed, the HHS process has the potential to both reduce the current amount of waste fines being generated and reclaim the existing impoundments.

Recently, powders of the size d (0.1 μm < d < 10 μm) have been referred to ultrafine particles. The particle shape considered is assumed to be a sphere of the diameter d. The handling of powders is of great importance for processing of pharmaceuticals, cement, chemicals and other products. Most of these technological processes involve powder compaction, storage, transportation, mixing, etc, therefore, understanding of the fundamentals of particles interaction behaviour is very essential in the design of machines and equipment as well as in powder technology, cleaning of environment and other areas. The dynamic behaviour of particulate systems is very complicated due to the complex interactions between individual particles and their interaction with the surroundings. Understanding the underlying mechanisms can be effectively achieved via particle scale research. The problem of a normal contact may be resolved in a number of ways. In spite of huge progress in experimental techniques, direct lab tests with individual particles are still rather time-consuming and expensive. The interaction of particles as solid bodies is actually a classical problem of contact mechanics. In the case of ultrafine particles, the reduction of the particle size shifts the contact zones into the nanoscale or subnanoscale. Thus, steadily increasing contribution of adhesion has to be considered in the development of the physically correct constitutive models and numerical tools. Consequently, it may... [to full text] / Ultrasmulkios dalelės yra šiuolaikinės chemijos, farmacijos, maisto ir kitų pramonės šakų produktų sudėtinė dalis. Tiriant pramoninius technologinius procesus, neišvengiamai reikalingos teorinės žinios apie ultrasmulkių dalelių elgseną. Išsamus supratimas įmanomas tik atlikus įvairius tyrimus. Pastaruoju metu milteliai, klasifikuojami kaip ultrasmulkios (0,1 < d < 10 μm) dalelės, imti plačiai naudoti pramoniniuose procesuose, todėl suprasti ultrasmulkių dalelių elgsenos fundamentalumą miltelių technologijoje yra labai svarbu. Ultrasmulki dalelė yra itin maža, todėl su ja atlikti fizinį eksperimentą, kuris reikalauja specialios įrangos bei žinių, labai sunku. Tokiu atveju dažniausiai naudojamas skaitinis eksperimentas, kurį galima atlikti virtualiai. Skaitinio eksperimento metu yra tiriamos dinaminės ultrasmulkios dalelės savybės bei sprendžiamas dinaminis uždavinys. Taikant skaitinius modelius bei dalelės judėjimą aprašančias jėgų lygtis, naudojami sąveikos modeliai, apimantys adhezinę, klampią, tamprią bei tampriai plastinę sąveikas. Mikroskopinis adhezinės sąveikos modeliavimas – aktualus mechanikos mokslo uždavinys. Taikant sąveikos modelius, svarbu pritaikyti ir diskrečiųjų elementų metodą, kadangi, norint aprašyti dalelių elgseną, visų pirma reikia su-vokti ir aprašyti dalelės modelį. Dalelės elgsenos skaitiniam modeliavimui siūlomi teoriniai modeliai leidžia tirti dalelės sąveiką su dalele ar tampria puserdve bei sąveikos dinamiką. Šie modeliai galėtų būti pritaikyti... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

<p>Additive manufacturing (AM) can be an advantageous substitute to various traditional manufacturing techniques. Due to the ability to rapidly create products, AM has been traditionally used to prototype more efficiently. As the industry has progressed, however, use cases have gone beyond prototyping into production of complex parts with unique geometries. Amongst the most popular of AM processes is fused deposition modeling (FDM). FDM fabricates products through an extrusion technique where plastic filament is heated to the glass transition temperature and extruded layer by layer onto a build platform to construct the desired part. The purpose of this research is to elaborate on the potential of this technology, while considering environmental impact as it becomes more widespread throughout industry, research, and academia.</p> <p>Although AM consumes resources more conservatively than traditional methodologies, it is not free from having environmental impacts. Several studies have shown that additive manufacturing can affect human and environmental health by emitting particles of a dynamic size range into the surrounding environment during a print. To begin this study, chapters investigate emission profiles and characterization of emissions from FDM 3D printers with the intention of developing a better understanding of the impact from such devices. Background work is done to confirm the occurrence of particle emission from FDM using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic filament. An aluminum bodied 3D printer is enclosed in a chamber and placed in a Class 1 cleanroom where measurements are conducted using high temporal resolution electrical low-pressure impactor (ELPI), scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS), and optical particle sizer (OPS), which combined measure particles of a size range 6-500nm. Tests were done using the NIST standard test part and a honeycomb infill cube. Results from this study show that particle emissions are closely related to filament residence time in the extruder while less related to extruding speed. An initial spike of particle concentration is observed immediately after printing, which is likely a result of the long time required to heat the extruder and bed to the desired temperature. Upon conclusion of this study, it is theorized that particles may be formed through vapor condensation and coagulation after being released into the surrounding environment.</p> <p>With confirmation of FDM ultrafine particle emission at notable concentrations, an effort was consequently placed on diagnosing the primary cause of emission and energy consumption based on developed hypotheses. Experimental data suggests that particle emission is mainly the result of condensing and agglomerating semi-volatile organic compounds. The initial emission spike occurs when there is dripping of semi-liquid filament from the heated nozzle and/or residue left in the nozzle between prints; this supports the previously stated hypothesis regarding residence time. However, the study shows that while printing speed and material flow influence particle emission rate, the effects from these factors are relatively insignificant. Power profile analysis indicates that print bed heating and component temperature maintaining are the leading contributors to energy consumption for FDM printers, making time the primary variable driving energy input.</p> <p>To better understand the severity of FDM emissions, further investigation is necessary to diligence the makeup of the process output flows. By collecting exhaust discharge from a Makerbot Replicator 2x printing ABS filament and diffusing it through a type 1 water solution, we are able to investigate the chemical makeup of these compounds. Additional exploration is done by performing a filament wash to investigate emissions that may already be present before extrusion. Using solid phase micro-extraction, contaminants are studied using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) thermal desorption. Characterization of the collected emission offers more comprehensive knowledge of the environmental and human health impacts of this AM process.</p> <p>Classification of the environmental performance of various manufacturing technologies can be achieved by analyzing their input and output material, as well as energy flows. The unit process life cycle inventory (UPLCI) is a proficient approach to developing reusable models capable of calculating these flows. The UPLCI models can be connected to estimate the total material and energy consumption of, and emissions from, product manufacturing based on a process plan. The final chapter focuses on using the knowledge gained from this work in developing UPLCI model methodology for FDM, and applying it further to the second most widely used AM process: stereolithography (SLA). The model created for the FDM study considers material input/output flows from ABS plastic filament. Energy input/output flows come from the running printer, step motors, heated build plate, and heated extruder. SLA also fabricates parts layer by layer, but by the use of a photosensitive liquid resin which solidifies when cured under the exposure of ultraviolet light. Model material input/output flows are sourced from the photosensitive liquid resin, while energy input/output flows are generated from (i) the projector used as the ultraviolet light source and (ii) the step motors. As shown in this work, energy flow is mostly time dependent; material flows, on the other hand, rely more on the nature of the fabrication process. While a focus on FDM is asserted throughout this study, the developed UPLCI models show how conclusions drawn from this work can be applied to different forms of AM processes in future work.</p>