Respirable Dust Separation Technology Based on Electromigration Characteristics

Pneumoconiosis is the most common occupational disease in China, with approximately 10,000 new cases emerging each year, causing significant economic losses and negative social impacts. The primary culprit is respirable dust. Separating respirable dust from total dust is a critical foundation for respirable dust monitoring and pneumoconiosis early warning. To overcome the issues of frequent maintenance and secondary dust dispersion in traditional separation methods like inertial impact, gravitational settling, and cyclone separation, a combination of theoretical research and laboratory experiments was used. The mathematical relationship between dust electrical mobility and particle size was clarified, and a dust charge separation test system was established. Based on the electro-migration characteristics of dust particles, a method for respirable dust charge separation was proposed. Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed dust charge separation method effectively separates respirable dust.