AS&T Article Highlight: Dust Resuspension from Fabrics Exposed to Airflow

By: Lindsay Diana Yee, UC Berkeley

Authors of the Manuscript Featured: Jie Feng, Tsz Wai Lai, Sau Chung Fu, Ka Chung Chan, Chun-Ho Liu & Christopher Y.H. Chao

Aerosol Science and Technology, 58:6, 667-680, DOI: 10.1080/02786826.2024.2324980

Inhalation of dust can lead to various health hazards upon inhalation.  Suspended dust carrying the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei was attributed to an outbreak of fatal infections in Hong Kong associated with occupational exposures such as construction work.  Resuspension of dust from airflow over/around fabric surfaces (e.g. curtains, tents, bedding) can also result in enhanced levels of inhalable particulate matter triggering a myriad of potential health problems.

Feng et al., conduct a fundamental study on resuspension of dust from four fabric surfaces including cotton, linen, silk, and polyester using a wind tunnel to measure resuspension under air flow velocities representative of disturbances such as wind that can lead to dust resuspension.  While previous studies looked at dust resuspension from firm/rigid surfaces (typically under steady state conditions), Feng et al. examined the transient condition during air flow acceleration that would be more applicable to real world situations such as wind gusts and appliances startup like fans.

Test dust was applied over fabric sections and held suspended in the wind tunnel or fixed on a flat surface with various air flow rates applied.  For the fabric in motion case, stronger than expected resuspension (by 90%) was observed compared to that of the fixed fabric case in terms of mass fraction of dust remaining on the fabric.   Ultimately, empirical correlations within Equations 2a, 2b, and 3 involving air velocity, fabric motion mode, fabric type, and airflow duration provides a method for prediction of resuspension from flow-induced fabric motion.

Graphical abstract figure showing relationship of resuspension of dust with acceleration of fabric, air velocity, and time before and after critical velocity is reached (when fabric starts to flutter).