Comparison of Three Real-Time Measurement Methods for Airborne Ultrafine Particles in the Silicon Alloy Industry.

Ida Kero,Rikke Jørgensen

doi:10.3390/ijerph13090871

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the applicability and the correlation between three commercially available instruments capable of detection, quantification, and characterization of ultrafine airborne particulate matter in the industrial setting of a tapping area in a silicon alloy production plant. The number concentration of ultrafine particles was evaluated using an Electric Low Pressure Impactor (ELPITM), a Fast Mobility Particle Sizer (FMPSTM), and a Condensation Particle Counter (CPC). The results are discussed in terms of particle size distribution and temporal variations linked to process operations. The instruments show excellent temporal covariation and the correlation between the FMPS and ELPI is good. The advantage of the FMPS is the excellent time- and size resolution of the results. The main advantage of the ELPI is the possibility to collect size-fractionated samples of the dust for subsequent analysis by, for example, electron microscopy. The CPC does not provide information about the particle size distribution and its correlation to the other two instruments is somewhat poor. Nonetheless, the CPC gives basic, real-time information about the ultrafine particle concentration and can therefore be used for source identification.

Highlights

The modern metallurgical industry is subject to extensive health, safety, and environmental regulations
This paper aims to demonstrate how these three instruments can be used to assess particulate matter (PM) concentrations in a silicon alloy production plant
Compared to other types of industries, the results found in this study seems to be quite similar; Evans et al [33] reported GM values for ultrafine particles (UFP) in a grey iron foundry, ranging from 7.0 × to 2.8 × particles/cm3

Summary

Introduction

The modern metallurgical industry is subject to extensive health, safety, and environmental regulations. The topic of airborne particulate matter (PM) is important both in terms of protecting the environment and the health of workers. The industry is directing a great deal of effort and investment towards improvements in technical process changes to reduce exposure, e.g., enclosure respiratory protection, ventilation, and filter systems. These are often site- designed to collect and control the off-gases and dust from the various process operations. It is difficult to collect all the dust and staff exposure can, at times, be high. Studies have indicated the possible presence of ultrafine dust in ferroalloy (including silicon alloys) production [1,2,3]

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Conclusion