Masters Theses

Keywords and Phrases

Aerosol Particle; Diethylhexyl Phthalate; Mass Transfer; Mediated; Shuttling

Abstract

"Phthalates are a class of SVOCs that are widely used as plasticizers and recently epidemiological and toxicological research has found a link between phthalate exposure and increased occurrences of adverse health effects. SVOCs can potentially partition into household dust and airborne particles. Models and micro chamber studies have identified that airborne particles effectively increase SVOC deposition to or emissions from surfaces; SVOCs partition to aerosols in the bulk air, the aerosols then migrate to the surfaces due to eddy and Brownian motion, and then the SVOCs is released inside the SVOC concentration boundary layer adjacent to the surface. Concentration boundary layers limit mass transfer to and from surfaces, but particle mediation of SVOCs effectively decreases this layer thickness, resulting in an increase of the effective mass transfer coefficient. This project focuses on the design and validation of a pilot scale system that will ultimately be used to test model predictions describing this phenomenon. To meet the requirements of the model, there are several requirements: (1) successful generation and characterization of polydisperse particles with an aerodynamic diameter of 10-500 nm at concentrations of 50-100 µg/m3, (2) quantify the deposition flux of aerosol particles to ensure the particle bound fraction of DEHP will contribute to less than 10% of DEHP flux relative to that due to gas-phase deposition, and (3) quantify the deposition flux of DEHP with a 95% confidence interval less than 30% of magnitude of the flux. The designed system does not meet requirement (2), but does meet requirements (1) and (3). Further work to reduce the particle deposition will need to be done before the system is ready to examine the hypothesis of particle mediation"--Abstract, page iii.

Advisor(s)

Morrison, Glenn

Committee Member(s)

Fitch, Mark W.
Rezaei, Fateme

Department(s)

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

Degree Name

M.S. in Environmental Engineering

Publisher

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Publication Date

Spring 2016

Pagination

x, 67 pages

Note about bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 59-66).

Rights

© 2016 Melissa Buechlein, All rights reserved.

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Subject Headings

Diethylhexyl phthalateDiethylhexyl phthalate -- Environmental aspectsPhthalate esters -- Toxicology

Thesis Number

T 10868

Electronic OCLC #

952591699

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