PURPOSES : This study predicts the concentration of suspended road dust (PM10) by analyzing meteorological, traffic, and atmospheric environmental data acquired at various angles, and attains a comprehensive understanding of the influencing factors of suspended road dust. METHODS : Experimental field methods were applied and statistical analyses were conducted. Field experiments were conducted using a vehicle-based measurement of suspended dust (PM10) to measure its concentration at the measurement site while maintaining a constant driving vehicular speed. Statistical analysis demonstrated the effects of the concentration of suspended dust on changes in meteorological and environmental factors and lanes per traffic volume at the time of measurement. Finally, a multiple linear regression model was applied to identify the factors which affected the generation of suspended dust. RESULTS : The analysis of suspended road dust concentrations according to the lanes per traffic volume and environmental factors showed that suspended dust concentrations increased at increasing driving speeds. In addition, the background concentration at the monitoring station was higher at high-wind speeds (>3.0 m/s) than at low-wind speeds (<1.6 m/s), but the suspended dust concentrations were higher at low-wind speeds. During the temperature inversion period from evening to morning, the suspended effects of traffic and meteorological factors were greater than the background concentration at the station. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that excluding yellow-dust days, which are known to affect atmospheric pollution levels, the accuracy of the model improved and resulted in increases in background PM10, vapor pressure, sea-level pressure, visibility, after-rainfall time, and in decreases in insolation and precipitation during low-wind speed conditions. CONCLUSIONS : At low-wind speeds, 5 days after rain, and when the relative humidity was higher than 72%, suspended dust was found to be higher than atmospheric PM10 concentration and may increase at increasing driving speeds and section lane traffic volumes. However, the volume of measured data in this study is limited to determining the patterns of suspended dust, as the silt loading of the operational road or the effects of prominent variables were not considered in this study. However, we identified prominent factors related to road-suspended dust for real-time road-dust predictions.

The automatic dust separator is a device installed in the suction tank of the pumping or drainage plant, and prevents foreign substances such as aquatic plants or wood chips from being sucked into the underwater pump. Since the dust separator obstructs the flow of water for separating dusts, a water level difference is likely to occur before and after the dust separator. Since the water level difference before and after the dust separator acts as an additional hydraulic load on the dust separator structure, it may reduce the lifetime of the dust separator and cause damage. In this study, in order to reduce the water level difference, we devised changing the existing I-beam-shaped dust separator parts to a streamlined shape, and quantitatively analyzed the water level difference before and after the dust separator, hydraulic load, and flow velocity distribution through computational fluid analysis to confirm the effect of design improvement.

PURPOSES : This study describes the experimental findings on the mechanical properties of calcium aluminate cement (CAC)-based repair mortars with or without natural cellulose fiber (NCF). Additionally, the effect of adding NCF to the reduction of fugitive dust in the CAC powder was examined. METHODS : To produce mortar, four different levels of NCF (0.0.5, 1.0, and 2.0% by binder weight) were adopted, and the water-binder ratio was fixed at 0.485. The flow, strength characteristics, absorption, and surface electrical resistivity of the mortars were measured at predetermined periods. Additionally, SEM observations were performed to examine the microstructural changes and hydrates formed on the 28 day-mortar samples. RESULTS : The addition of NCF led to a decrease in fugitive dust. Regarding the mechanical properties of the mortars, that with 0.5% NCF exhibited a better performance in terms of strength development and surface electric resistivity compared to those of other mortars. However, the addition of NCF was less effective in the enhancement of the absorption of mortars. Further, we discovered that the microstructures of the mortars with additional NCF were comparatively dense compared to those without NCF. CONCLUSIONS : The appropriate addition of NCF can enhance the performance of CAC-based repair materials. However, further studies on the durability of CAC with the addition of NCF are needed to determine the optimal mixture.

Low-cost particulate matter (PM) sensors based on the light scattering principle measure the concentration of particles by the change of scattering intensity after light is irradiated onto the particles. It has been reported that when the relative humidity is high, water vapor may cause the expansion of airborne particles and affect the accuracy of the light scattering method for PM measurement, but it has also been shown that the effect of humidity is not significant or even negligible. Therefore, to determine the effect of humidity on the Plantower PMS7003 light scattering sensor, in this study, a BAM1020 (Beta Attenuation Monitoring) was installed alongside to continuously monitor the ambient atmospheric PM concentration for approximately four weeks. The sensors collected data at 10-minute intervals, resulting in a 1-hour average for comparative analysis. To accurately measure humidity, the performance of the Arduino + DHT22 humidity sensor was also pre-evaluated using a series of saturated salt solutions. The humidity was grouped into five intervals and analyzed by visual analysis. The results confirmed that there was no significant correlation between PM2.5 differences and humidity, which were randomly and uniformly distributed around the mean. However, since in the very low and high concentration ranges based on the beta-ray monitor measurements, the difference between the light scattering sensor PM10 measurement and the reference value is much larger than the difference between the PM2.5 and the reference value., there is an additional need to investigate the appropriate correction method for dust season or PM10. The results show that the outcomes of the light scattering sensor are more influenced by particle size and concentration than by humidity.

PURPOSES : Fine dust significantly affects the atmospheric environment, and various measures have been implement to reduce it. The aim of this study is to reduce fine dust on roads by implementing porous pavements and a clean road system using the low-impact development technique. METHODS : We conducted quality tests (draindown, cantabro loss rate, tensile strength ratio, dynamic stability, and indoor permeability coefficient tests) and performance evaluation (dynamic modulus and Hamburg wheel-tracking tests) on the porous asphalt mixture. Subsequently, we constructed a porous pavement road in a test bed and conducted a permeability test. In the test bed, we installed a nozzle, a water tank, and a fluid pump to water the roadside. After the clean road system was completely installed, we measured the concentration of fine dust before and after water was sprayed. Additionally, we conducted a total suspended solids (TSS) test to confirm the reduction in re-suspended dust. RESULTS : All results from the quality test of the porous asphalt mixture satisfy the standards stipulated by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Results from the dynamic modulus test show a low plastic deformation resistance but a high fatigue crack resistance. The results from the Hamburg wheel-tracking test satisfy the U.S. Department of Transportation standards. After the porous pavement was constructed, a permeability test was conducted, and the result satisfies the standard value. Using a particle counter, we measured the concentration of fine dust before and after water spraying, and results show 12.08% and 10.23% for PM10 and PM2.5 particles, respectively. The results from the TSS test show that after the initial water spray, almost all re-suspended dust are removed from a road. In unfavorable road conditions, almost all re-suspended dust are removed after a second water spray. CONCLUSIONS : The results of all of quality tests performed on a porous asphalt mixture satisfy the standards. By applying the results to a test bed, the problem of securing water is solved. Using the clean road system, 12.08% and 10.23% of PM10 and PM2.5 particles are removed, respectively. The system removes PM10 particles (larger particles) more effectively compared with PM2.5 particles. IN the future, we plan to revise the maintenance plan such that the porous pavement can exhibit long-term performance. Because pipe freezing may occur in the winter, we plan to analyze the periodic maintenance plan of the porous pavement and develop a solution to mitigate the issue of freezing pipes in the winter.

PURPOSES : The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of dust removal by dust removal vehicles by the measuring dust load and PM10 concentrations on the sidewalks of block pavements. METHODS : Field experiments were conducted to determine a dust removal method suitable for the sidewalk conditions, as identified through a literature review. Data collection was followed by the evaluation of the sidewalk dust load with removal vehicles and analysis of the PM10 content within a service road. Moreover, an economic analysis was conducted based on the social costs of dust reduction. RESULTS : When cleaning a sidewalk block by spraying water, the contaminants in small gaps in the block pavement could be reduced, providing a potential solution to void clogging. The dust on the surface of the sidewalk was suspended from a paved road with a high level of traffic volume. Using sidewalk dust removal vehicles with sweeping, spraying water, and inhalation reduced the dust load and PM10 contents by more than 2 and 0.07g/m2, respectively. CONCLUSIONS : According to the economic analysis of the development of dust removal vehicles for sidewalks, the cost-benefit analysis method shows an input effect of 0.4, but if the reduction amount of fine particles such as PM2.5, further experiments are necessary to address the atmospheric fine dust concentrations resulting from cleaning sidewalk block pavements.