PARTICULATE

MATTER
 INTRODUCTION

Increase in uncontrolled traffic

Urban sprawl
growth

Deterioted Air
Quality

Reduction in urban forest and

Increase in urban population
increase in traffic emissions
 PARTICULATE MATTER

Diameters larger than w10 nm and smaller than w50 mm

Pm particles in the atmosphere are a threat to all life forms and one of the major
indicators of air pollution

Pm has become one of the major air pollutants in urban, suburban and even in
rural and remote regions of the world
 NEGATIVE IMPACT

Reducing
Impact of PM Reduction of
atmospheric
on health photosynthesis
visibility

Deposition of Affecting
minerals and meteorological
metals in soil processes
“SIMULATING PM IN THE ATMOSPHERE
IS ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING
TASKS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL
PROFESSIONALS”
 DEFINITION
 Particulate matter (also called particle pollution): the term for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets
found in the air such as dust, dirt, soot, or smoke.
 Sources of particulate matter can be natural or anthropogenic. They have impacts on climate and
precipitation that adversely affect human health.
 Particle pollution includes; PM10: inhalable particles, with diameters that are generally 10 micrometers and
smaller; and PM2.5: fine inhalable particles, with diameters that are generally 2.5 micrometers and smaller.
 These particles come in many sizes and shapes and can be made up of hundreds of different chemicals.
 Some are emitted directly from a source, such as construction sites, unpaved roads, fields, smokestacks or
fires.
 Most particles form in the atmosphere as a result of complex reactions of chemicals such as sulfur
dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which are pollutants emitted from power plants, industries and automobiles.
 Sea-salt spray
Grasslands & forest fire
Dust storms

Non-anthropogenic
(Natural)

Volcanoes
Pollen grains
 Industry & household energy
production through combustion
 Nitrogen oxides emitted by
industrial process

Solid fuels i.e, lignite, coal,

biomass & heavy oil Agriculture releasing ammonia
Smelting
Combustion of
Anthropogenic sulfur-
(Man-made) containing fuels
 Sulphur
dioxide.

 Combustion of engine i.e, petrol

& diesel
 Road traffic  pavement
Variety of industrial activities i.e, erosion by abrasion of brakes &
mining, building, manufacturing of tires
bricks, ceramics, & cement  Nitrogen oxides are emitted
from cars
THE FATE OF
THE MATTER
(OUTSIDE OF
HUMAN BODY)
 PARTICULATE MATTER
• Greatest emissions are from natural sources  but exposure of natural
PM are less than expected
• Source are confined but PM are present globally due to atmospheric
circulation
• PM readily enter homes and buildings  people are constantly exposed
to ambient PM even when inside
• PM are found in troposphere and stratosphere
TROPOSPHERE STRATOSPHERE

Consists of : • Large explosive volcanic eruptions

• naturally generated PM • Oxidation of carbonyl sulfide (COS)
• biogenic particles and volcanic sulfur dioxide (SO2)
• anthropogenic PM • Less particle concentrations & types,
but longer residence times
 PARTICULATE MATTER
FINE (PM2.5) COARSE (PM10)
Nucleation-mode Aitken-mode Accumulation-mode
(d < 10 nm) (d = 10–100 nm) (d = 0.1–2.5 μm) (d = 2.5–10 μm)

Form by Form by Form by primary Form by mechanical

condensation of coagulation or emissions, processes (ex:
hot combustion condensation of condensation of low- abrasion and
vapors or nucleation mode volatility vapors on fragmentation)
homogeneous particles existing PM, or by
nucleation of coagulation of
atmospheric gases smaller-mode PM
• More readily diffuse and undergo • Lifetime is largely • Larger particle =
agglomeration determined by faster
• The most abundant PM (greatest in precipitation gravitational
numbers of particles) • Longest settling
• Account for only a minor proportion atmospheric • Accounts for the
of the total PM volume or mass residence times most of PM
(± 1-2 weeks in volume and mass
the lower • Short atmospheric
troposphere) residence time
ROUTE OF EXPOSURE TO
COMMUNITY

Ingestion

Inhalation

Dermal Absorption
 INGESTION
Direct consumption of contaminated beverages and food
Clearance of particles removed from the lungs via mucociliary transport
Smaller particles penetrate deeper into the lungs where mucosal transport
may not be as an effective removal mechanism
Introduced into the gastrointestinal tract through swallowing, creating an
indirect route to ingestion
 INHALATION
Deposition of particulate matter within the airways, tracheobronchial, and
pulmonary region is particle size dependent (high for particles > 1 mm)
Super-micron particles tend to deposit onto airway surfaces (impaction or
settling)
Smallest ultrafine (nano-size) fraction can diffuse very rapidly and be removed
(tracheobronchial region)
Particles between 20 nm and several hundred nanometer  not removed
effectively, can penetrate into the pulmonary region  largest health risk
(interfere with gas-exchange at alveolar junctions)
 DERMAL ABSORPTION
Particle deposits onto the stratum corneum  dermis  diffusing
into the blood via either intercellular clefts or directly through
endothelial cell membranes (passive process)
Stratum corneum  hair follicles or sweat ducts  create shunts for
enhanced mass transport of compounds deposited onto skin 
responsible for the majority of material transported
HEALTH
IMPACT
RESPIRATORY PROBLEM
 PM 2.5

Pro Inflammatory DNA Methylation

Cytokines

Tumor Suppressor
Oncogen Activation
Gen Inactivation

Lung Cancer

Asthma and COPD

 CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

• Epidemiological studies have observed that particulate

matter (PM) pollution is intimately linked with
cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

• The possible biological mechanisms linking

particulate matter to cardiovascular disease involve
both direct and indirect effects.
• The direct effect may occur through the movement of
particle from pulmonary epithelium into the circulation.
• Activation of pulmonary neural reflexes secondary to pm
interaction with lung receptors may play a role. Ensuing
alteration in autonomic tone, under appropriate
circumstances may contribute to instability of the vascular
plaque or initiate cardiac arrhythmias.
• CHRONIC INDIRECT AFFECT:
Inhaled
particle Oxidative
stress Systemic Impairing vascular
inflammation function, accelerating
atherosclerosis
 OTHERS
• Maternal exposure to air pollution during pregnancy is associated
with increased risk of adverse birth outcomes, such as low birth weight
(<2500 g) and preterm birth.
• A 10 μg/m3 increase in pregnancy period pm2.5 exposures was
associated with a 4g decrease in birth weight and 2% increase in
prevalence of low birth weight.
• The largest reductions in birth weight were associated with exposure to
vanadium, sulfur, sulfate, ion, manganese, ammonium, zinc, and
copper.
• Biological mechanisms explaining the impact of pm on birth outcomes
are not well understood.
PREVENTION
 AIR PARTICULATE MATTER PREVENTION

Households:
- Use ventilated cooking stoves
- Do not smoke inside the house
- Do not use candles without good ventilation
- Pine and citrus air fresheners and fragrances can react with ozone and
produces particles and formaldehyde
• VEHICLES: Limit motor vehicles usage, use electric or hybrid powered cars or bikes.
INDUSTRIES: Use eco-friendly devices
 WATER PARTICULATE MATTER PREVENTION

A lot of researches are being conducted

One of the novel researches is hypolimnetic oxygenation, which proved a good
result in controlling soluble fe in water
Further studies are still needed to have a clean particle free water for the
ecosystem to sustain
 SOIL PARTICULATE MATTER PREVENTION

Fertilizers and pesticides causes particulate organic matters, causing crops and
plants hard to grow
- Use ecofriendly farming substances
Metals and electronic wastes causing high metal particulate matters
sedimentation
- Still hard to overcome
The best prevention educate people about their lifestyle and products
they use
People are also need to be encouraged to have a concern more about
the environment and be more careful in using those products.
PARTICULATE
CONTROL
 Techniques

• Prevention of nuisance and physical damage to property;

• Elimination of health hazards to plant personnel and to the general
population;
• Recovery of valuable waste products;
• Minimization of economic losses;
• Improvement of product quality.

Devices

• Gravity settling chamber

• Fabric Filter
• Cyclone Separators Considerations
• Electrostatic Precipitators • quantity of gas to be
treated
• nature and concentration
• the physical and chemical
characteristicstemperature
• pressure
• humidity

Khan MY, Kumar M, Awasthi SK. Particulate: sources, effects and control. 2017; Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318647965%0APARTICULATE:
 GRAVITY SETTLING CHAMBER

less than 3 m/s (10 ft/sec)

used to remove large particles

(greater than 50µm)

as pre-cleaners prior to passing the gas

through high efficiency collection devices

long chamber through which the contaminated gas passes slowly by reducing the velocity of gas stream, allowing time for the
particulate matter to settle under the force of gravity.

Khan MY, Kumar M, Awasthi SK. Particulate: sources, effects and control. 2017; Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318647965%0APARTICULATE:
 Fabric Filter

the dusty gas flows into and through the fabric, leaving the
dust on the inside of the bag, while the cleaned gas exits
through the bag to the other side and then out the
baghouse.

trapped due to different physical mechanism: inertial

impaction, direct interception and diffusion.

cleaning mechanism: shaking, reverse air system,

compressed air, combination of various systems and
ultrasonic cleaning
Khan MY, Kumar M, Awasthi SK. Particulate: sources, effects and control. 2017; Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318647965%0APARTICULATE:
 CYCLONE (CENTRIFUGAL) SEPARATORS

Air flows in a helical pattern, beginning at the top (wide

end) of the cyclone and ending at the bottom (narrow) end
before exiting the cyclone in a straight stream through the
center of the cyclone and out the top.

Larger (denser) particles in the rotating stream have too

much inertia to follow the tight curve of the stream, and
thus strike the outside wall, then fall to the bottom of the
cyclone where they can be removed

The rotational radius of the stream is reduced in a conical

system, so the rotating flow moves towards the narrow end
of the cyclone, thus separating smaller and smaller
particles.

Khan MY, Kumar M, Awasthi SK. Particulate: sources, effects and control. 2017; Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318647965%0APARTICULATE:
Ketut CN, Dwinanto, Attegar. Optimization high vortex finder of cyclone separator with computational fluids dynamics simulation. MATEC. 2017;3009(101):1–5.
 ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS

Khan MY, Kumar M, Awasthi SK. Particulate: sources, effects and control. 2017; Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318647965%0APARTICULATE:
Becker KH, WeiDong Zhu, Lopez JL. Microplasmas: environmental and biological applications. Encycl Plasma Technol. 2017;(February):791–805.
 CONCLUSION
• Particulate matter (PM) , also known as particle pollution, is a term refers to mixture of solid particles
and liquid droplets found in the air.
• Primary pm vs secondary pm and anthropogenic (man-made) vs non-anthropogenic (natural source).
• Portal entry mechanisms : ingestion, inhalation, and dermal absorption.
• Health problems : Respiratory problems, cardiovascular disease, and low birth
weight.
• Some controlling methods : Raw material changes, operational changes, modifications,
replacement of processes equipment.
• Many devices to remove pm : Gravity settling chamber, fabric filter, cyclone (centrifugal)
separators, and electrostatic precipitators.
• Prevention of pm : Gather more info about the products we use, whether it produces
high level of particulate matter pollution or not.
THANK YOU