AVS 65th International Symposium & Exhibition
    Plasma Science and Technology Division Tuesday Sessions
       Session PS+PB+SE-TuA

Paper PS+PB+SE-TuA4
Plasma-based Remediation of Nanoscale Particulate Matter in Charbroiler Smoke Emissions

Tuesday, October 23, 2018, 3:20 pm, Room 104C

Session: Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas
Presenter: Sisi Yang, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
Authors: S. Yang, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
S. Subramanian, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
D. Singleton, Transient Plasma Systems
C. Schroeder, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
W. Schroeder, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
M. Gundersen, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
S.B. Cronin, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
Correspondent: Click to Email
Recent studies have shown ultrafine particulate matter (UFPM) produced in commercial charbroiling processes represents a serious health hazard and has been linked to various forms of cancer. In this study, we demonstrate a highly effective method for treating restaurant smoke emissions using a transient pulsed plasma reactor based on a nanosecond high voltage pulse generator. We measure the size and relative mass distribution of particulate matter produced in commercial charbroiling processes (e.g., cooking of hamburger meat) both with and without the plasma treatment. Here, the plasma discharge is produced in a 3” diameter cylindrical reactor with a 5-10 nanosecond high voltage (17 kV) pulse generator. The distribution of untreated nanoparticle sizes peaked around 125-150 nm in diameter, as measured using a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) spectrometer. With plasma treatment, we observe up to a 55-fold reduction in total particle mass and a significant reduction in the nanoparticle size distribution using this method. The effectiveness of the UFPM remediation increases with both the pulse repetition rate and pulse voltage, demonstrating the scalability of this approach for treating higher flow rates and larger systems.