Deposition Uniformity and Particle Size Distribution of Ambient Aerosol Collected with a Rotating Drum Impactor

Abstract

Rotating drum impactors (RDI) are cascade type impactors used for size and time resolved aerosol sampling, mostly followed by spectrometric analysis of the deposited material. They are characterized by one rectangular nozzle per stage and are equipped with an automated stepping mechanism for the impaction wheels. An existing three-stage rotating drum impactor was modified, to obtain new midpoint cutoff diameters at 2.5 μm, 1 μm, and 0.1 μm, respectively. For RDI samples collected under ambient air conditions, information on the size-segregation and the spatial uniformity of the deposited particles are key factors for a reliable spectrometric analysis of the RDI deposits. Two aerodynamic particle sizers (APS) were used for the determination of the RDI size fractionation characteristics, using polydisperse laboratory room air as quasi-stable proxy for urban ambient air. This experimental approach was suitable for the scope of this study, but was subject to numerous boundary conditions that limit a general u...