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.

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.

PURPOSES : The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of spraying dust suppressants in relation to the condition of road pavement in South Korea and to develop an optimal management method by continuously measuring re-suspended dust concentrations using a vehicle-based measurement. METHODS : Indoor experiments were conducted to select suppressants suitable for local conditions to reduce reducing road dust, which were identified through literature review. Data collection followed the evaluation method by selecting a section sprayed with dust suppressants and a non-sprayed section within the service road. RESULTS : The BPT experiment is designed to ensure the skid resistance of the road when dust suppressants are sprayed on the road. The Environmental toxic tests for PM10, HCHO, and TVOC all met the daily indoor air quality standards recommended in Korea for determining stability. Comparison of PM10 contents before and after spraying of the test road with dust suppressants and the non-sprayed section, it was confirmed that the dust suspended by the external environment may be reduced, but the amount of dust remaining on the road may increase. After 4 hours, when the water had evaporated, the dust suppressants remained effective and lasted for two-days. CONCLUSIONS : The concentration of fine dust in South Korea varies with the average duration of highly concentrated fine dust being 26.5 h nationwide, 20.5 h in the Seoul metropolitan area, and 25.1 h in Gyeonggi-province, suggesting a duration of one to two days. Thus, the fine dust problem can be solved by using dust suppressants.

PURPOSES : Abroad, road pavement materials vary depending on the speed and traffic volume of vehicles, but owing to the negative perception of block pavements, sidewalks, parking lots, and parks are primarily used in Korea. In addition, since speed restriction policies such as safety speed 5030 have been implemented recently, it is necessary to use block pavements for roadways, which are considered to have the effect of reducing speed. Therefore, it is necessary not only to actively discuss the introduction of block pavements for roadways but to continue research on the effectiveness of the performance evaluation and to change the perception of roads in Korea. METHODS : In this study, five indicators (surface damage, surface temperature, driving speed of vehicle, noise, and suspended dust) were selected for a sustainable road environment. The performance evaluation index of block pavement for roadways was decided according to the domestic and international literature, and the data were collected based on the evaluation index in the section with block pavement for roadways in Korea. RESULTS : The damage rate was calculated 0.35% according to the breakage of block and Maintenance Control Index(MCI) was ranked A~B even though the pavement was used for more than 4~5 years. The surface temperature of block pavement has a temperature reduction effect of 7 ℃ compared with ordinary asphalt pavement and a speed reduction of approximately 4 km/h on average; therefore, the traffic calming effect of block pavements can be expected. The noise of block pavement and asphalt pavement exhibited a similar level, and the noise level experienced by pedestrians did not change significantly as a result of frequency analysis. The measurement of road suspended dust around the road confirmed the possibility of reducing the concentration of road dust in the air owing to the smooth surface drainage and the results indicated the possibility. CONCLUSIONS : The results of this study are expected to contribute to the recognition and functional improvement of domestic block pavements by continuous monitoring to ensure the reliability of blocks. In addition, it is necessary to ensure the reliability of the quality and functional evaluation of paving materials through continuous on-site monitoring.