New particulate filter cuts in-car pollution by 93%

Scientists have developed a new filter which may reduce in-car pollution by as much as 93 per cent when the car’s vents are open, to effectively improve the health and welfare of car occupants. While vents inside cars can be closed, by switching the car’s ventilation system to ‘recirculation mode’ - effectively slashing the amount of ultrafine particulate (UFPs) emissions inside the car by as much as 90 per cent - closing the vents causes exhaled carbon dioxide to build up. Rising carbon dioxide levels in turn represents a hazard to health as it can impair decision-making by drivers and impact on road safety. Current manufacturer-fitted filters only block between 40-60 per cent of the UFPs, which enter the car when the vents are open. According to ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology, however, scientists Yifang Zhu and Eon Lee have developed a new HECA filters which can slash the amount of UFPs that get inside the car by nearly double the amount of the standard manufacturer filters, but still enable carbon dioxide to escape from the car. As tested on 12 commercially-available vehicles, the new filters proved to have much smaller diameter holes than the original filters , enabling them to trap more particle emissions but still keep carbon dioxide levels at acceptable levels. In-car pollution is a major problem for motorists at the moment. Research from the University of South Wales back in 2008, found that pollution levels inside cars stuck in traffic can be as much as two to three times higher than those experienced by pedestrians and cyclists travelling along the same route. Ultrafine particles emissions are considered the most dangerous type of particulate emissions as they are able to imbed themselves deeper into lung tissue and even make their way into the bloodstream. Particulate emissions from road traffic are linked to respiratory diseases and even cancers. http://www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/blog/index.php/2014/02/28/new-particulate-filter-cuts-in-car-pollution-by-93/