The diploma thesis deals with the exposure of nanoparticles in means of transport. The diploma thesis provides an overview of the current state of exposure to nanoparticles in vehicles that people use every day travelling to work. Moreover, the work describes the health risks that can be caused by these particles and have an adverse effect on human health. The work processed data (particle number concentration, particle size and LDSA) which monitored the exposure of nanoparticles in the tram of public transport in the city of Brno and the extent of pollution by nanoparticles at stops.

Die natürliche Umgebungsluft enthält Aerosolpartikel, deren Größe von wenigen Nanometern bis zu einigen Mikrometern reicht. Insbesondere anthropogenen ultrafeinen Partikeln, die kleiner als 100 nm sind, werden negative Wirkungen auf die menschliche Gesundheit zugeschrieben. Die gravimetrische Messung der Partikelmassekonzentration erfasst ultrafeine Partikel nur ungenügend, da die Masse dieser Partikel sehr gering ist. Deutlich empfindlicher gelingt die Quantifizierung ultrafeiner Partikel durch die Messung der Partikelanzahlkonzentration. Die Arbeit beschreibt ein Verfahren zur Messung der Anzahlkonzentration von Partikeln in Umweltaerosolen. Es verknüpft die elektrische Aufladung der Partikel mit deren Klassierung im elektrischen Feld und ihre Mengenbestimmung anhand der elektrischen Ladung. Mittels des entwickelten Sensormodells gelingt die Verbindung der gemessenen Rohdaten mit der Anzahlgrößenverteilung der Partikel durch eine Kernfunktion in einer Fredholmschen Integralgleichung erster Art. Zur Dateninversion wird diese Gleichung in diskreter Form als lineares Gleichungssystem genutzt. Dessen Koeffizienten bilden die Kernmatrix, welche mit einer neu entwickelten Methode experimentell bestimmt wird. Vergleichsmessungen zeigen eine gute Übereinstimmung des Verfahrens mit Referenzverfahren der Aerosolmesstechnik und unterstreichen die Eignung des Verfahrens zur Partikelquantifizierung in Umweltmessnetzen.

Particulate matter (PM) emitted from diesel engines encompasses soluble (volatile) and insoluble (non-volatile) matter. The concept of volatility or solubility depends on the method of separation. The volatile matter includes sulphates and nitrates which are bound to water vapour; and myriads of hydrocarbon species. The solid matter is comprised of black carbon and ash. Its mitigation combines the use of internal engine design and operating factors like fuel injection and spray, air and fuel mixing, chamber designs and fuel improvements. Control technologies that act on the exhaust gases are called ‘after-treatments' which include the use of oxidation catalysts, filter trap and reductant of nitrogen oxides along the exhaust system. The central issues of this thesis are measurement schemes that involve stripping the PM of volatile matter in order to determine the actual values of nano-size solid carbon particles that pose significant health risk and their mitigations. In the experimental measurements, exhaust gases were generated at low engine load which are rich in unburnt hydrocarbons that nucleate into particles at low temperatures. Similarly, exhaust gases generated at medium load contain volatile and soot components; these were used to study dilution effects on PM emission. The interplay of mixing and cooling was used to explain the behaviour of saturation characteristics of the volatile fractions in the dilution process which influenced nucleation of volatile species. The parameters of particle number concentration reduction factor (PCRF) and volatile removal efficiency (VRE) were used to give extended interpretation to dilution of PM during conditioning, than mere dilution ratios. On this basis, comparison was made on the effect of carrier gases on dilution process and it was found that air is superior when there is need for volatile reduction while nitrogen is better when it is necessary to freeze further reaction, especially at low dilution ratios. In addition, a two-stage hot dilution technique was used to mimic the Particle Measurement Programme (PMP) prescription, and it gave better PCRF and VRE values. The study of PM mitigation by filter traps focused on burning-off the accumulated matter to allow free flow of exhaust gases, and the energy it takes to initiate and maintain PM combustion. Therefore a fundamental study of soot oxidation relevant to regeneration of diesel particulate filter (DPF) was made. This was extended to investigate if blending of petrodiesel with biodiesel affects PM oxidation. It is deducible that oxidation of PM generated from fuel with biodiesel blends is slightly faster compared to that from pure petrodiesel. A feasible use of microwave power to regenerate catalysed and non-catalysed silicon carbide (SiC) diesel particulate filters (DPFs) using an available multimode microwave cavity was also carried out. Results show that with catalysed DPFs, catalyst light-off temperature reduced by 100oC under the influence of microwave irradiation, while for non-catalysed DPF, regeneration was achieved within 550-600oC at a time estimated to be lower compared to electrical resistance heating approach.

In der oberen Troposphäre und untersten Stratosphäre (OT/US) beeinflussen Aerosolpartikel im Submikrometerbereich den Strahlungshaushalt der Erde direkt und, was noch wichtiger ist, indirekt, da sie als Kondensationskern für Wolken dienen und somit die Spurengaskonzentrationen durch heterogene chemische Prozesse ändern können. Seit 1997 gibt es regelmäßige in situ Messungen der OT/US Partikel durch das Leibniz-Institut für Troposphärenforschung in Leipzig, Deutschland. Diese Messungen werden an Bord eines Passagierflugzeugs mit dem weltweit einzigartigen IAGOS-CARIBIC Messcontainer durchgeführt (www.iagos.org/iagos-caribic). In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden die Partikelanzahlkonzentration und die Partikelgrößenverteilung im Submikrometerbereich der vergangenen Jahre ausgewertet. Dafür wurden die Daten von drei Kondensationspartikelzählern (CPC, Condensation Particle Counter) und einem optischen Partikelgrößenspektrometer (OPSS, Optical Particle Size Spectrometer) verwendet. Zunächst wurde im Labor eine umfangreiche Charakterisierung des IAGOS-CARIBIC OPSS hinsichtlich der Zähleffizienz durchgeführt. Weiterhin wurde eine Kalibrierung mit Polystyrol-Latex im geräterelevanten Bereich von 140 nm bis 1050 nm vorgenommen und daraus mit Hilfe der Mie-Streuung eine Funktion zur Datenauswertung für die OT/US entwickelt. Die statistische Analyse der IAGOS-CARIBIC OPSS und CPC Daten gibt einen guten Überblick über die in der OT/US vorkommenden Partikelanzahlkonzentrationen und stellt sicher, dass ein statistisch fundierter Datensatz für die Analyse zur Verfügung steht. Auf dieser Grundlage wurde zum ersten Mal eine detaillierte Analyse der raumzeitlichen Verteilung der Aitkenmode- und Akkumulationsmode-Partikelanzahlgrößenverteilung in der OT/US vorgenommen. Diese Analyse beinhaltet Weltkarten mit Medianwerten, Wahrscheinlichkeitsdichtefunktionen für spezielle Flugrouten und Partikelgrößenverteilungen entlang der Längengrade. Außerdem wurden die Partikelanzahlkonzentrationen zum ersten Mal mit dem globalen Klimamodell ECHAM-HAM verglichen. Dabei ergab sich, dass die Partikelanzahlkonzentration hauptsächlich von großräumigen Strömungsverhältnissen beeinflusst wird, was im Großen und Ganzen gut vom Modell wiedergegeben wird. Für die einzelnen Jahreszeiten wurden mit Hilfe der potentiellen Temperatur und äquivalenten Breitengrade die vertikalen Profile ausgewertet. Für die Analyse in Bezug auf die Aerosol-Mikrophysik und den Transport durch die Tropopause wurden auch die in IAGOS-CARIBIC gemessenen Spurengase, wie z.B. Ozon und Wasserdampf, hinzugezogen. Die Auswertung zeigt ebenfalls deutlich den Einfluss von Wolken in der oberen Troposphäre und verschiedene Austauschprozesse zwischen der Stratosphäre und Troposphäre. Außerdem wurde der Einfluss verschiedener Austauschprozesse auf die Partikelanzahlkonzentration untersucht: die Brewer-Dobson Zirkulation, warm conveyor belts, Isentropentransport und der Transport durch tropische, hochreichende konvektive Bewölkung. In der Vergangenheit wurde diese Analyse nur für atmosphärische Spurengase durchgeführt, und nun zum ersten Mal auch für Aerosolpartikel. Die hier präsentierten Ergebnisse zeigen eine umfangreiche Charakterisierung der Aitken- und Akkumulationsmode-Partikelanzahlkonzentration in der OT/US und den Einfluss von Austauschprozessen der Stratosphäre und Troposphäre auf die Partikel. Die Auswertungen tragen maßgeblich zum Verständnis und zur Vorhersage der Partikelanzahlkonzentration in Klimamodellen und damit schlussendlich zur Berechnung des Strahlungshaushalts der Erde und dessen zeitlicher Veränderung bei. / Submicrometer aerosol particles in the upper troposphere and lowermost stratosphere (UT/LMS) influence the Earth's radiation budget directly and, more important, indirectly, by acting as cloud condensation nuclei and by changing trace gas concentrations through heterogeneous chemical processes. Since 1997, regular in situ measurements of UT/LMS particles have been conducted by the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research, Leipzig, Germany, using the world-wide unique IAGOS-CARIBIC observatory (www.iagos.org/iagos-caribic) onboard a passenger aircraft. In this thesis, UT/LMS aerosol particle number concentrations and the submicrometer aerosol particle size distribution as measured by three condensation particle counters (CPCs) and one Optical Particle Size Spectrometer (OPSS) are discussed. Before analyzing the measurement data from the UT/LMS region a throughout characterization of the IAGOS-CARIBIC OPSS with respect to the counting efficiency was carried out in the laboratory for the OPSS-relevant particle size range of 140 nm to 1040 nm diameter. After calibration with polystyrene latex (PSL) particles a theoretical response function, representative for the UT/LMS, was calculated with Mie theory to ensure a correct data analysis. The statistical analysis of the IAGOS-CARIBIC OPSS and CPC data gives a good overview of existing particle number concentrations in the UT/LMS and ensures a statistically sound data analysis. On this basis a detailed characterization of the spatio-temporal distribution of Aitken and accumulation mode particle number concentrations in the UT/LMS was carried out for the first time. This analysis includes global maps with median values, probability density functions for specific flight routes, and longitudinal distributions of the particle size distribution. Also a first comparison with the global climate model ECHAM-HAM was conducted. The analysis showed that the aerosol distributions are mainly influenced by large-scale circulation patterns which were, in gererel terms, well reflected by the global climate model. Moreover, seasonal vertical cross-sections for particle number concentrations, the potential temperature, and the equivalent latitude were generated. The results are interpreted with respect to aerosol microphysics and cross-tropopause transport using IAGOS-CARIBIC trace gases like ozone and water vapor. The influence of clouds in the troposphere and the different stratosphere-troposphere exchange processes are clearly visible. Furthermore, the influence of the major transport processes into the UT/LMS region on the aerosol particle number concentrations was investigated: the Brewer-Dobson circulation, warm conveyor belts, isentropic transport, and tropical deep convective cloud outflow. In the past this was done only for atmospheric trace gases, but now for the first time for aerosol particles. The findings presented in this study represent a comprehensive characterization of the Aitken and accumulation mode particle number concentration in the UT/LMS and the influence of stratospheric-tropospheric exchange processes on these particles. These findings may help to evaluate and improve predictions of particle number concentrations by climate models and finally the calculation of the Earth's radiation budget and its change over the years.

Die natürliche Umgebungsluft enthält Aerosolpartikel, deren Größe von wenigen Nanometern bis zu einigen Mikrometern reicht. Insbesondere anthropogenen ultrafeinen Partikeln, die kleiner als 100 nm sind, werden negative Wirkungen auf die menschliche Gesundheit zugeschrieben. Die gravimetrische Messung der Partikelmassekonzentration erfasst ultrafeine Partikel nur ungenügend, da die Masse dieser Partikel sehr gering ist. Deutlich empfindlicher gelingt die Quantifizierung ultrafeiner Partikel durch die Messung der Partikelanzahlkonzentration. Die Arbeit beschreibt ein Verfahren zur Messung der Anzahlkonzentration von Partikeln in Umweltaerosolen. Es verknüpft die elektrische Aufladung der Partikel mit deren Klassierung im elektrischen Feld und ihre Mengenbestimmung anhand der elektrischen Ladung. Mittels des entwickelten Sensormodells gelingt die Verbindung der gemessenen Rohdaten mit der Anzahlgrößenverteilung der Partikel durch eine Kernfunktion in einer Fredholmschen Integralgleichung erster Art. Zur Dateninversion wird diese Gleichung in diskreter Form als lineares Gleichungssystem genutzt. Dessen Koeffizienten bilden die Kernmatrix, welche mit einer neu entwickelten Methode experimentell bestimmt wird. Vergleichsmessungen zeigen eine gute Übereinstimmung des Verfahrens mit Referenzverfahren der Aerosolmesstechnik und unterstreichen die Eignung des Verfahrens zur Partikelquantifizierung in Umweltmessnetzen.

This work focuses on the research and comparison of several types of air purifiers. It clarifies the principles of filtration and describes the basic types of air purifiers. Part of this work is designed methodology of measurement for comparison of filtration efficiency and filtration rate. The experimental part of this work contains the measurement and comparison made for two types of air purifiers. Selected purifiers were De’Longhi AC230 with mechanical filters and ionic air purifier Ionic-CARE Triton X6. Within the framework of this work an experimental set-up was constructed in the home environment for the simulation of real conditions for the function of the air purifiers. The measurement results provide information about aerosol number concentration process during the measurements and evaluation of filtration efficiency of air purifiers.

Powerlines are important in the process of electricity transmission and distribution (T & D) and their essential role in transmitting electricity from the large generating stations to the final consumers cannot be over emphasized. Over the years, an increase in the demand for electrical energy (electricity) has led to the construction and inevitable use of high transmission voltage, sub-transmission voltage and distribution voltage power conducting lines, for the electricity T & D process. Along with this essential role, electricity conductors can also give rise to some electrically related effects such as interference with telecommunication circuits, electric shocks, electromagnetic fields, audible noise, corona ion discharges, etc. The presence of powerline generated corona ions in any ambient air environment can be associated with the local modification of the earth’s natural dc electric field (e-field), while the interactions between these ions and other airborne aerosol particles can be associated with the presence of charged aerosol particles in the environment of the corona ion emitting lines. When considering all the studies conducted to date on the possible direct and indirect effects of high voltage powerlines (HVPLs), of significant interest are those suggesting links between powerlines and some adverse human health effects – with such health effects alleged to be strongest amongst populations directly exposed to HVPLs. However, despite the numerous studies conducted on HVPLs, to date a lack of proper scientific understanding still exist in terms of the physical characterization of the electrical environment surrounding real-world HVPLs - mostly in terms of the entire dynamics of ions and charged particles, as well as the possible links/associations between the different parameters that characterize these electrical environments. Yet, gaining a sound understanding about the electrical environment surrounding energized real-world HVPLs is imperative for the accurate assessment of any possible human exposure or health effects that may be associated with powerlines. The research work presented in this thesis was motivated by the existing gaps in scientific understanding of the possible association between corona ions generated by real-world HVPLs and the production of ambient charged aerosol particles. The aim of this study was to supply some much needed scientific knowledge about the characteristics of the electrical environment surrounding real-world energized HVPLs. This was achieved by investigating the possible effects of corona ions generated by real-world overhead HVPLs on ambient aerosol particle number concentration level, ambient aerosol particle charge concentration level, ambient ion concentration level and the magnitude of the local vertical dc e-field; while also taking into consideration the possible effect of complex meteorological factors (such as temperature, pressure, wind speed wind direction, solar radiation and humidity) on the instantaneous value of these measured parameters, at different powerline sites. The existence of possible associations or links between these various parameters measured in the proximity of the powerlines was statistically investigated using simple linear regression, correlation and multivariate (principal component, factor, classification and regression tree-CART) analysis. The strength of the regression was tested with coefficient of determinations R2, while statistical significance was asserted at the 95 % confidence level. For the powerline sites investigated in this study, both positive and negative polarities of ions were found to be present in the ambient air environment. The presence of these ions was associated with perturbations in the local vertical dc e-field, increased net ambient ion concentrations and net particle charge concentration levels. The mean net ion concentration levels (with a range of 4922 ions cm-3 to -300 ions cm-3) in the ambient environment of these powerlines, were in excess of what was measured in a typical outdoor air (i.e -400 ions cm-3). The mean net particle charge concentration levels (1469 ions cm-3 to -1100 ions cm-3) near the powerlines were also found to be statistically significantly higher than what was obtained for a mechanically ventilated indoor room (-84 ± 49 ions cm-3) and a typical urban outdoor air (-486 ± 34 ions cm-3). In spite of all these measured differences however, the study also indicated that ambient ion concentration as well as its associated effects on ambient particle charge concentration and e-field perturbations gradually decreased with increase in distance from the powerlines. This observed trend provided the physical evidence of the localized effect of real-world HVPL generated corona ions. Particle number concentration levels remained constant (in the order of 103 particles cm-3) irrespective of the powerline site or the sampling distance from the lines. A close observation of the output signals of the sampling instruments used in this study consistently revealed large fluctuations in the instantaneous value of all the measured electrical parameters (i.e. non-periodic extremely high and low negative and positive polarities of ions/charged particles and e-field perturbations was recorded). Although the reason for these observed fluctuations is not particularly known at this stage, and hence in need of further investigations, it is however being hypothesized that, since these fluctuations appear to be characteristic of the highly charged environment surrounding corona ion emitting electrical infrastructures, they may be suggestive of the possibility that the release of corona ions by ac lines are not necessarily in the form of a continuous flow of ions. The results also showed that statistically significant correlations (R2 = 74 %, P < 0.05) exists between the instantaneous values of the ground-level ambient ion and the ground-level ambient particle charge concentration. This correlation is an indication of the strong relationship/association that exists between these two parameters. Lower correlations (R2 = 3.4 % to 9 %, P < 0.05) were however found to exist between the instantaneous values of the vertical dc e-field and the ground-level ambient particle charge concentration. These suggest that e-field measurements alone may not necessarily be a true indication of the ground-level ambient ion and particle charge concentration levels. Similarly, low statistical correlations (R2 = 0.2 % to 1.0 %, P < 0.05) were also found to exist between the instantaneous values of ambient aerosol particle charge concentration and ambient ultrafine (0.02 to 1 μm sized) aerosol particle number concentration. This low level of correlations suggests that the source contribution of aerosol particle charge and aerosol particle number concentration into the ambient air environment of the HVPLs were different. In terms of the implication of human exposure to charged aerosol particles, the results obtained from this study suggests that amongst other factors, exposure to the dynamic mixture of ions and charged particles is a function of : (a) distance from the powerlines; (b) concentration of ions generated by the powerlines; and (c) meteorology - wind turbulence and dispersal rate. In addition to all its significant findings, during this research, a novel measurement approach that can be used in future studies for the simultaneous monitoring of the various parameters characterizing the physical environment of different ion/charged particle emission sources (such as high voltage powerlines, electricity substations, industrial chimney stack, motor vehicle exhaust, etc.) was developed and validated. However, in spite of these significant findings, there is still a need for other future and more comprehensive studies to be carried out on this topic in order to extend the scientific contributions of in this research work.

Phenomenon of industrial grounds placed near residential areas can be frequently detected in European cities, which may cause decrease of air quality in these areas. The aim of this diploma thesis is to determine level of concentration and size distribution of aerosol in the planetary boundary layer above the residential area and industrial complex of Škoda auto a.s. in Mladá Boleslav city by using remotely controlled airship. Thereby, the thesis extends terrestrial experiment realized in February and March 2013 which revealed no significant impact of industry and traffic on air quality. Size distribution and concentration of aerosol particles in range from 11.5nm to 10µm with integration time one second or one minute (depending on measure mode - SINGLE or SCAN) was measured by two aerosol spectrometers placed in dirigible gondola during 13 flights on February 11, 2015. SINGLE mode lead the airship in one stable flight level during one flight above residential area and industrial complex of Škoda auto a.s. Whereas SCAN mode changed flight level every two minutes during the flight of airship above sports fields in residential zone only. Exhausts of car painting halls and place of automobile loading were identified as the sources of nanoparticles, PM1 a PM2.5 and coarse aerosol in the industrial area...

Biomass burning started to attract attention since the last decade because of its impacts on the atmosphere and the environmental air quality, as well as significant potential effects on human health and global climate change. Knowledge of particle emission characteristics from biomass burning is crucially important for the quantitative assessment of the potential impacts. This thesis presents the results of study aimed towards comprehensive characterization of particle emissions from biomass burning. The study was conducted both under controlled laboratory conditions, to quantify the particle size distribution and emission factors by taking into account various factors which may affect the particle characteristics, and in the field, to investigate biomass burning processes in the real life situations and to examine vertical profile of particles in the atmosphere. To simulate different environmental conditions, a new technique has been developed for investigating particle emissions from biomass burning in the laboratory. As biomass burning may occur in a field at various wind speeds and burning rates, the technique was designed to allow adjustment of the flow rates of the air introduced into the chamber, in order to control burning under different conditions. In addition, the technique design has enabled alteration of the high particle concentrations, allowing conducting measurements with the instrumentations that had the upper concentration limits exciding the concentrations characteristic to the biomass burning. The technique was applied to characterize particle emissions from burning of several tree species common to Australian forests. The aerosol particles were characterized in terms of size distribution and emission factors, such as PM2.5 particle mass emission factor and particle number emission factor, under various burning conditions. The characteristics of particles over a range of burning phases (e.g., ignition, flaming, and smoldering) were also investigated. The results showed that particle characteristics depend on the type of tree, part of tree, and the burning rate. In particular, fast burning of the wood samples produced particles with the CMD of 60 nm during the ignition phase and 30 nm for the rest of the burning process. Slow burning of the wood samples produced large particles with the CMD of 120 nm, 60 nm and 40 nm for the ignition, flaming and smoldering phases, respectively. The CMD of particles emitted by burning the leaves and branches was found to be 50 nm for the flaming phase and 30 nm for the smoldering phase, under fast burning conditions. Under slow burning conditions, the CMD of particles was found to be between 100 to 200 nm for the ignition and flaming phase, and 50 nm for the smoldering phase. For fast burning, the average particle number emission factors were between 3.3 to 5.7 x 1015 particles/kg for wood and 0.5 to 6.9 x 1015 particles/kg for leaves and branches. The PM2.5 emission factors were between 140 to 210 mg/kg for wood and 450 to 4700 mg/kg for leaves and branches. For slow burning conditions, the average particle number emission factors were between 2.8 to 44.8 x 1013 particles/kg for wood and 0.5 to 9.3 x 1013 particles/kg for leaves and branches, and the PM2.5 emissions factors were between 120 to 480 mg/kg for wood and 3300 to 4900 mg/kg for leaves and branches. The field measurements were conducted to investigate particle emissions from biomass burning in the Northern Territory of Australia over dry seasons. The results of field studies revealed that diameters of particles in ambient air emissions were within the size range observed during laboratory investigations. The laboratory measurements found that the particles released during the controlled burning were of a diameter between 30 and 210 nm, depending on the burning conditions. Under fast burning conditions, smaller particles were produced with a diameter in the range of 30 to 60 nm, whilst larger particles, with a diameter between 60 nm and 210 nm, were produced during slow burning. The airborne field measurements of biomass particles found that most of the particles measured under the boundary layer had a CMD of (83 ± 13) nm during the early dry season (EDS), and (127 ± 6) nm during the late dry season (LDS). The characteristics of ambient particles were found to be significantly different at the EDS and the LDS due to several factors including moisture content of vegetation, location of fires related to the flight paths, intensity of fires, and burned areas. Specifically, the investigations of the vertical profiles of particles in the atmosphere have revealed significant differences in the particle properties during early dry season and late dry season. The characteristics of particle size distribution played a significant role in these differences.