• Particle and aerosol research
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.119-130
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• 2014

Home is a major living environment of children. In urban area, indoor air at home could be severely influenced by combustion sources such as vehicle exhaust and cooking. In this work, the air quality of a high-rise apartment was investigated by monitoring combustion-related air pollutants at both indoor and outdoor in winter of 2014. From 48-h continuous monitoring data, large amount of $NO_x$ was observed at the balcony of the high-rise apartment during the morning traffic hours. It deteriorated indoor air quality of the apartment. During the cooking activity, high peak episodes of ultrafine particles were seen. It was concluded that effects of vehicle exhaust and cooking activity on the indoor air of the high-rise apartment could be easily checked by $NO_x$ and ultrafine particle indicators, respectively.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.594-603
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• 2008

A single particle analytical technique, named low-Z particle electron probe X-ray microanalysis, was applied to characterize four samples collected at an underground shopping area connected to Dongdeamun subway station, in January and May 2006. Based on the analysis of their chemical compositions of the samples, many distinctive particle types are identified and the major chemical species are observed to be soil-derived particles, iron-containing particles. sulfates. nitrates, and carbonaceous particles. which are encountered both in coarse and fine fractions. Carbonaceous particles exist in carbon-rich and organic. Soil derived particles such as aluminosilicates, AlSi/C, $CaCO_3\;and\;SiO_2$ are more frequently encountered in spring samples than winter samples. Nitrate- and sulfate-con taming particles are more frequently encountered in winter samples, and those nitrate- and sulfate-containing particles mostly exist in the chemical forms of $Ca(CO_3,\;NO_3),\;Ca(NO_3,\;SO_4),\;(Na,\;Mg)NO_3\;and\;(Mg,\;Na)(NO_3,\;SO_4)$. Fe-containing particles which came from nearby subway platform are in the range of about 10% relative abundances for all the samples. It is observed that nitrate- and sulfate-containing particles and carbonaceous particles are much more frequently encountered in indoor aerosol samples than in outdoor aerosols, implying that $NO_x,\;SO_x$, and VOCs at the underground shopping area were more partitioned into aerosol phase.

• Particle and aerosol research
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.83-91
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• 2014

Since airborne bacteria have been known to aggravate indoor air quality, studies on reducing bacteria particles increase recently. In this study, a chamber(0.8m x 0.8m x 1.56m) system was built in order to simulate real conditions for reducing airborne bacteria, and evaluated by a simple aerosol reduction test. A method utilizing CFD(Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulation was used to detect the horizontal cross-sectional area which represents particle distribution in the chamber. Then an air-cleaner with HEPA filter and Carbon Fiber Ionizer was located on that area for aerosol reduction test. The CFD result found the area was located at 0.2m height from the bottom of the chamber, and the test showed aerosol reduction efficiencies using measurements of number concentration and CFU(colony forming unit) per each case. At the measurement of number concentration, the reduction efficiency of air-cleaner with filter and ionizer(Case 3) was about 90% after 4 minutes from the stop of the bacteria injection, and that with only filter(Case 2) was about 90% after 8 minutes from the beginning. Lastly, that without filter and ionizer(Case 1) was about 30% after 10 minutes. At the measurement of CFU, it shows similar results but it is related to viability of bio-aerosol.

• Particle and aerosol research
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.9-20
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• 2008

The effect of light intensity on the ozone formation and the aerosol number concentration during the photochemical reactions of ambient air was investigated in an indoor smog chamber. The smog chamber consists of a housing, 64 blacklights, and a $2.5-m^3$ reaction bag made of Teflon film. The bag was filled with the unfiltered ambient air in Seoul from January 10 to March 18, 2002. In this work, the photolysis rate of $NO_2$, $k_1$ was used as an index of light intensity. Three levels of light intensity were controlled by changing the number of blacklights turned on among 64 blacklights: $0.29min^{-1}$ (50%), $0.44min^{-1}$ (75%), $0.57min^{-1}$ (100%). The ozone concentration increased rapidly within 10 minutes after irradiation irrespective of light intensity, thereafter it increased linearly during the irradiation. The ozone production rate seems to be dependent on both the light intensity and the quality of ambient air introduced into the reaction bag. The change in aerosol number concentration also depended on both the light intensity and the ambient air quality, especially aerosol size distribution. Based on the initial ambient aerosol size distributions, the photochemical potential for aerosol formation and growth is classified into two cases. One is the case showing aerosol formation and growth processes, and the other is the case showing no apparent change in particle size distribution.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.161-174
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• 2004

Aerosol formation and growth by water vapor reactions were investigated in a 2.5 -㎥ indoor smog chamber filled with the unfiltered ambient air. The relative humidity of test ambient air was elevated at 59～64% or 84～88% by adding water vapor. The aerosol number size distribution and the concentrations of $O_3$, NO, NO$_2$, and SO$_2$ were measured during the experiments. The $O_3$ and NO$_2$ gases were well reacted with the water vapor at high relative humidity of 84～88%, and the reaction rates of these gases seemed to be decreased at low relative humidity of 59～64%. The formation and condensational growth phenomena of ambient aerosols by water vapor reactions were observed in a Teflon bag, depending strongly on the initial particle size distribution. The water vapor reactions might be affected by the contents of oxidants produced by photochemical reactions under sunlight.

• Particle and aerosol research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.11-16
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• 2017

Indoor air quality is of increasing concern because it is closely related human health. An air handling unit (AHU) can be used to control the indoor air quality related to particulate matters and $CO_2$ as well as air conditioning such as temperature and humidity of indoor air. An electrostatic precipitator has a high collection efficiency and low pressure drop, however, ozone can possibly generate from its chargers, which is one of drawbacks to apply it for indoor air control. Here we compared four charging electrodes such as a $50{\mu}m$ tungsten wire, a $100{\mu}m$ tungsten wire, a $16{\mu}m$-thickness Al foil and a carbon fabric comprised of $5-10{\mu}m$ fibers. The carbon fabric electrode showed a superior particle collection efficiency and a lower ozone generation at a given power consumption compared to tungsten wires of 50, $100{\mu}m$ and an Al foil electrode. This low ozone generating, micro-sized electrode can be applied to the electrostatic precipitator in AHU for indoor air control.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.453-461
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• 2014

Objective: Based on the fact that fine particles are more likely to produce negative influences on the health of occupants as well as the quality of indoor air compared to coarse particles, it is critical to determine concentrations of aerosol particles with different sizes. Thus, this study focused on the size distribution and concentrations of aerosol particles in university buildings. Method: Aerosol particles in indoor air were collected from four areas: corridors in buildings(In-CO), lecture rooms(In-RO), laboratories(In-LR), and a cafeteria(In-RE). Samples were also collected from outside for comparison between the concentrations of indoor and outdoor particles. For the collection of the samples, an eight stage non-viable cascade impactor was used. Result: The average concentration of $PM_{10}$ in the samples collected from indoor areas was $34.65-91.08{\mu}g/m^3$,and the average for $PM_{2.5}$ was $22.65-60.40{\mu}g/m^3$. The concentrations of the aerosol particles in the corridors, lecture rooms, and laboratories were relatively higher than the concentrations collected from other areas. Furthermore, in terms of mass median aerodynamic diameter(MMAD), the corridors and lecture rooms had higher numbers due to their characteristics, showing $2.36{\mu}m$ and $2.11{\mu}m$, respectively. Laboratories running an electrolysis experiment showed $1.58{\mu}m$, and the cafeteria with regular maintenance and ventilation had $1.96{\mu}m$. Conclusion: The results showed that the $PM_{10}$ concentrations of all samples did not exceed indoor air quality standards. However, the $PM_{2.5}$ concentration was over the standard and, in particular, the concentration of fine particles collected from the laboratories was relatively higher, which could be an issue for the occupants. Therefore, it is important to improve the quality of the indoor air in university buildings.

• Particle and aerosol research
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2011

In this study, the formation of nanoparticles by a reaction of ozone with the volatile organic compounds(VOCs) emitted from a commercial home cleaner liquid was investigated using a $1-m^3$ reaction chamber($1{\times}1{\times}1m$). The home cleaner liquid was found to contain many VOCs, particularly terpenes. Some of these VOCs are known to readily react with ozone, forming indoor secondary pollutants. The correlation of particle concentration and reacted ozone concentration was examined with injections of three different ozone concentrations; 50, 100 and 200 ppb. The secondary nanoparticles were formed faster, with their numbers and mass concentrations becoming higher on increasing the concentration of ozone injected.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.115-140
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• 2010

Great concerns about atmospheric aerosols are attributed to their multiple roles to atmospheric processes. For example, atmospheric aerosols influence global climate, directly by scattering or absorbing solar radiations and indirectly by serving as cloud condensation nuclei. They also have a significant impact on human health and visibility. Many of these effects depend on the size and composition of atmospheric aerosols, and thus detailed information on the physicochemical properties and the distribution of airborne particles is critical to accurately predict their impact on the Earth's climate as well as human health. A single particle analysis technique, named low-Z particle electron probe X-ray microanalysis (low-Z particle EPMA) that can determine the concentration of low-Z elements such as carbon, nitrogen and oxygen in a microscopic volume has been developed. The capability of quantitative analysis of low-Z elements in individual particle allows the characterization of especially important atmospheric particles such as sulfates, nitrates, ammonium, and carbonaceous particles. Furthermore, the diversity and the complicated heterogeneity of atmospheric particles in chemical compositions can be investigated in detail. In this review, the development and methodology of low-Z particle EPMA for the analysis of atmospheric aerosols are introduced. Also, its typical applications for the characterization of various atmospheric particles, i.e., on the chemical compositions, morphologies, the size segregated distributions, and the origins of Asian dust, urban aerosols, indoor aerosols in underground subway station, and Arctic aerosols, are illustrated.

• Particle and aerosol research
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.65-72
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• 2020

In this study, the indoor fine dust concentration in an office of the Korea Knowledge Industry Center was measured for about 80 hours when the concentration of atmospheric PM_2.5 was very high. The effect of the operation of the air cleaner and the forced ventilation system on the indoor PM_2.5 was investigated, and the particle size distribution of the indoor and outdoor particles was analyzed. When forced ventilator and air purifiers were partially used, the indoor PM_2.5 concentrations were maintained between 27.7 ㎍/㎥ and 32.9 ㎍/㎥ when the atmospheric PM_2.5 was 127.7 ㎍/㎥ to 141.6 ㎍/㎥ during working hours. It is more effective to operate the air purifier without operating the forced ventilation system when the concentration of the PM_2.5 is high since the PM_2.5 penetrating the installed filter is continuously introduced indoor from the outside.