New special air filter blocks small particles from getting inside cars

Tue, 02/25/2014 - 9:31am


Yifang Zhu and Eon Lee explain that most modern cars come with cabin air filters, but they only block 40 to 60% of the UFPs when in “outdoor air mode.” These particles are 100 nm or less in diameter; about a thousand of them could fit across the width of a human hair. Studies suggest that UFPs, which are found in automotive exhaust, may be linked with health problems. Switching the venting system into “recirculation mode” reduces UFPs by 90%, but because the interior is closed off from the outside, exhaled carbon dioxide can potentially build up to levels that could impair decision-making. To address this challenge, Zhu and Lee decided to develop a method that would simultaneously reduce UFPs inside cars, while also allowing carbon dioxide to escape.

They developed HECA filters that could reduce UFP levels by an average of 93% in 12 commercially available vehicles while driving in outdoor air mode. Compared with the original manufacturer-installed filters, the new one is made of synthetic fibers of much smaller diameters. Carbon dioxide remained at a “reasonable” level, they say.


Source: American Chemical Society


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