Abstract
Solid particle aerosol generation can be a costly technique that may have limited applications for a researcher. Herein, we discuss a low-cost method of solid aerosol generation for less than $1000 USD. The aerosol generation system was validated with acetaminophen and syloid 244 by studying the aerosolization into a chamber using this lab-built low-cost solid aerosol generator. This method used an inexpensive Venturi aspirator valve to pull the material from a hopper and disperse it into an 85 L chamber, creating a non-recirculating aerosol environment. The demonstrated system is a modification of a previously reported low-cost aerosol generator by the addition of electronic control valves automating the aerosolization process resulting in increased repeatability of air volume ejected into the chamber as well as decreasing the retrograde emission of materials. In each experiment, an initial spike of material was observed on the particle counter with exponential decay of total particles as they fell out of suspension or were consumed by the particle counter. In addition, the lab-built system was directly compared to a more expensive commercially available belt-fed Venturi aerosol generator and our experiments show that both methods produced similar results in regards to the particle distribution and time to create a stable aerosol environment. The addition of inexpensive electronic valves to this simple Venturi aspirator opens the area of solid particle aerosol generation to a larger audience without the high-cost burden normally associated with other commercially available technologies.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andreae M, Rosenfeld D (2008) Aerosol–cloud–precipitation interactions. Part 1. The nature and sources of cloud-active aerosols. Earth-Sci Rev 89(1–2):13–41
Calvert G, Ghadiri M, Tweedie R (2009) Aerodynamic dispersion of cohesive powders: a review of understanding and technology. Adv Powder Technol 20(1):4–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apt.2008.09.001
Calvert G, Hassanpour A, Ghadiri M (2011) Mechanistic analysis and computer simulation of the aerodynamic dispersion of loose aggregates. Chem Eng Res Design 89(5):519–525. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cherd.2010.08.013
Chen B, Yeh H, Fan B (1995) Evaluation of the TSI small-scale powder disperser. J Aerosol Sci 26(8):1303–1313
Cottrell WD, R. N. Laboratory, U. S. A. E (1954) Commission. Solid aerosol generation. Oak Ridge National Laboratory
TSI Incorporated (2012) “Small-scale Powder Dispenser Model 3433”. https://tsi.com/getmedia/be2a5037-95c5-4a1a-a85e-05cd7a70eee5/3433_SSPD_US_1931004?ext=.pdf. Accessed 15 Sept 2022
TSI Incorporated (2019) “Dust Aerosol Generator Model 3410”. https://tsi.com/getmedia/3a2aef46-ba7d-40ff-817c-e67ca8deec78/5002120_US_3410_Dust_Aerosol_Generator_Web?ext=.pdf. Accessed 15 Sept 2022
Kostelanská K, Prudilová BB, Holešová S, Vlček J, Vetchý D, Gajdziok J (2022) Comparative study of powder carriers physical and structural properties. Pharmaceutics. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14040818
Kulkarni P, Baron PA, Willeke K (2011) Introduction to aerosol characterization. Aerosol measurement: principles, techniques, and applications, vol 3. Wiley
Palas (2022) “RBG 1000”. https://www.palas.de/en/product/download/rbg1000/datasheet/pdf. Accessed 15 Sept 2022
Silverman L, Billings CE (1956) Methods of generating solid aerosols. J Air Pollut Control Assoc 6(2):76–83. https://doi.org/10.1080/00966665.1956.10467737
Sioris CE, Abboud I, Fioletov VE, McLinden CA (2017) AEROCAN, the Canadian sub-network of AERONET: aerosol monitoring and air quality applications. Atmosc Environ 167:444–457. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2017.08.044
Stein S, Theil C (2017) The History of therapeutic aerosols: a chronological review. J Aerosol Med Pulm Drug Deliv. https://doi.org/10.1089/jamp.2016.1297
Szumilo M, Belniak P, Swiader K, Holody E, Poleszak E (2017) Assessment of physical properties of granules with paracetamol and caffeine. Saudi Pharm J 25:900–905
Tang P, Fletcher DF, Chan HK, Raper JA (2008) Simple and cost-effective powder disperser for aerosol particle size measurement. Powder Technol 187(1):27–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2008.01.003
CH Technologies (2016) “Vilnius Aerosol Generator (VAG) – User’s Manual”. Accessed 9 Mar 2021
CH Technologies (2016) “Wright Dust Feeder II (WDF-II)– User’s Manual”. Accessed 9 Mar 2021
Tiwari AJ, Fields CG, Marr LC (2013) A cost-effective method of aerosolizing dry powdered nanoparticles. Aerosol Sci Technol 47(11):1267–1275. https://doi.org/10.1080/02786826.2013.834292
Funding
The work was supported by Pendar Technologies.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The authors have no competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Curtiss, J., Languirand, E., Collins, M. et al. Automation of a Low-Cost Venturi Aerosol Generator. Aerosol Sci Eng 6, 437–447 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41810-022-00156-3
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41810-022-00156-3