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In a regenerative air sweeper, airflow and dust particles entering the system are filtered and recirculated within the system. The uncirculated portion of the exhaust air in the system spreads to the ambient air, and PM2.5 dust in the air can poison the environment and adversely affect human health. The development of an airflow control system to reduce road dust emissions and improve air quality was the main contribution of this study. A regenerative air sweeper airflow control system is designed to direct the air from the centrifugal fan back into the pickup head to fully absorb the dust particles and balance the positive and negative air pressures inside the pickup head. The modeling and analysis of the dust control system were performed using an experimental test rig system. A mathematical model of the fundamental parameters of the regenerative air sweeper and dust control system was established. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) ANSYS was used for the analysis to determine the direction of airflow via the suction and inlet ducts. The discrete particle model (DPM) accurately predicted particle trajectories and measured the suction efficiency of particles of different shapes and types. By controlling the circulating harmful air flow in the system, the amount of PM2.5 released into the atmosphere was reduced by 90%. The suction efficiency of the 200 μ m sized sand particles was higher than 95%. The results provide theoretical and methodological assistance for the development of improved road sweeper dust control systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Road dust-associated contaminants (RD-AC) are gradually becoming a much thornier problem, as their monotonous correlations render them carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic. While many studies have examined the harmful effects of road dust on both humans and the environment, few studies have considered the co-exposure risk and gradient outcomes given the spatial extent of RD-AC. In this spirit, this paper presents in-depth elucidation into the baffling complexities induced by both major and emerging contaminants of road dust through a panorama-to-profile up-to-date review of diverse studies unified by the goal of advancing innovative methods to mitigate these contaminants. The paper thoroughly explores the correlations between RD-AC and provides insights to understand their potential in dispersing saprotrophic microorganisms. It also explores emerging challenges and proposes a novel integrated framework system aimed at thermally inactivating viruses and other pathogenic micro-organisms commingled with RD-AC. The main findings are: (i) the co-exposure risk of both major and emerging contaminants add another layer of complexity, highlighting the need for more holistic framework strategies, given the geospatial morphology of these contaminants; (ii) road dust contaminants show great potential for extended prevalence and severity of viral particles pollution; (iii) increasing trend of environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) in road dust, with studies conducted solely in China thus far; and (iv) substantial hurdle exists in acquiring data concerning acute procedural distress and long-term co-exposure risk to RD-ACs. Given the baffling complexities of RD-ACs, co-exposure risk and the need for innovative mitigation strategies, the study underscore the significance of establishing robust systems for deep road dust contaminants control and future research efforts while recognizing the interconnectivity within the contaminants associated with road dust. [Display omitted] • The baffling complexities induced by road dust contaminants are explored. • Emerging contaminants of road dust are increasingly gaining a foothold worldwide. • Carcinogenic effects to transmit pathogenic microorganisms are discussed. • Integrative mitigation framework system is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]