Jung, Jae Hee Lee, Jung Eun Kim, Sang Soo Bae, Gwi Nam 2024-01-20T19:04:09Z 2024-01-20T19:04:09Z 2021-09-02 2010-06 0021-8502 https://pubs.kist.re.kr/handle/201004/131393 Airborne fungi, termed fungal bioaerosols, have received attention due to their association with public health problems. The search for ways to prevent the harmful effects of fungal bioaerosols has created a high demand for research and development of efficient methods for controlling bioaerosols. We investigated variations in aerosol characteristics including total number concentration, size distribution, and surface morphology of fungal bioaerosols under a thermal heating process, a promising bioaerosol control method, in a continuous-flow system. Quantitative thermal characteristics of fungal bioaerosols were also obtained from thermogravimetric analysis. Our experimental results show that the aerodynamic and physical diameter of tested fungal bioaerosols decreased when exposed to increasing surrounding temperatures, even within a short exposure time of about 0.15 s. The instantaneous exposure to high temperature significantly changed the surface morphology of the fungal bioaerosols and caused thermal decomposition of the polymer component of the fungal cell wall. These variations in physical characteristics are closely related to the aerodynamic diameter of fungal bioaerosols. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. English ELSEVIER SCI LTD SHORT-TIME PASTEURIZATION SMALL CERAMIC HEATER HIGH-TEMPERATURE RESPIRATORY DEPOSITION AIR IONS INACTIVATION SPORES PARTICLES REMOVAL INDOOR Size reduction of Aspergillus versicolor fungal bioaerosols during a thermal heating process in continuous-flow system Article 10.1016/j.jaerosci.2010.03.004 1 JOURNAL OF AEROSOL SCIENCE, v.41, no.6, pp.602 - 610 JOURNAL OF AEROSOL SCIENCE 41 6 602 610 scie scopus 000279139000007 2-s2.0-77952951696 Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Environmental Sciences Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences Engineering Environmental Sciences & Ecology Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences Article SHORT-TIME PASTEURIZATION SMALL CERAMIC HEATER HIGH-TEMPERATURE RESPIRATORY DEPOSITION AIR IONS INACTIVATION SPORES PARTICLES REMOVAL INDOOR Fungal bioaerosols Aspergillus versicolor Thermal heating process Thermogravimetric analysis Size distribution