Removal of fine particulate matter from cooking-oil fume using an intensified mobile chemical scrubber based on a rotating packed bed with green surfactants

Abstract

Cooking-oil fumes (COFs) from street-food stalls in night markets have adverse effects on air quality and workers. This study proposes a floor-mounted, cylindrical, movable, small-sized rotating packed bed (RPB) coupled with green surfactants in a Span and Tween mixture as an intensified chemical scrubber for COF purification. Moreover, it is used for an on-site performance evaluation of PM2.5 removal efficiency (ηPM2.5) in a fried-food stall. With a hydrophilic–lipophilic balance of 6 (H6) from the Span and Tween mixture, an optimal dose of 8.2 g/L is achieved for an ηPM2.5 of 88.8 %. Except for direct interception and inertial impaction, the RPB with H6 stimulates the emulsification of COFs, which is a dominant mechanism for the range of PM1–2.5. By comparing the effects of scrubbing solutions of water, traditional detergent, and H6, it is found that H6 exhibits the highest emulsification effect for ηPM2.5 with low scent and manageable foaming level. A 7-day performance evaluation for commercial operation suggests that a promising ηPM2.5 can be reached by maintaining the concentration of H6 in the scrubbing solution. Therefore, the effectiveness of the RPB with the bio-based H6 surfactant is clearly demonstrated by the removal of PM2.5 in commercial fried-food stalls. The findings shed light on the development and application of RPB with bio-based and eco-friendly surfactants for wet scrubbing of COFs in terms of particulate-matter removal in commercial fried-food stalls.