Article
Environmental Sciences
Manasa Reddy, Mohammad Heidarinejad, Brent Stephens, Israel Rubinstein
Summary: Indoor air quality in nursing homes often exceeds outdoor levels, which may adversely affect the health of elderly residents who are more susceptible to air pollutants. Regular monitoring and improvement of indoor air quality in nursing homes can reduce medical expenditures and improve residents' quality of life.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chrystalla Kaikiti, Marinos Stylianou, Agapios Agapiou
Summary: Hairdressing personnel are exposed to various air pollutants, including VOCs and PM, in hair salons. This study analyzed the indoor air in 5 hair salons and found that hair products are a major source of air pollutants. Efforts are needed to reduce the concentration levels of PM and VOCs.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yukiko Nishihama, Chau-Ren Jung, Shoji F. Nakayama, Kenji Tamura, Tomohiko Isobe, Takehiro Michikawa, Miyuki Iwai-Shimada, Yayoi Kobayashi, Makiko Sekiyama, Yu Taniguchi, Shin Yamazaki
Summary: Exposure to particulate matter (PM) is an important risk factor for morbidity and mortality. The study measured indoor PM concentrations in a large-scale birth cohort, identifying important predictors such as indoor PM10-2.5, outdoor PM2.5, indoor smoking, and temperature. Findings highlight the importance of reducing outdoor PM concentrations, avoiding indoor smoking, and using air cleaners to improve indoor air quality.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Gayatri Sankaran, Sze Tat Tan, Joanna Shen, Ramona Gutierrez, Lee Ching Ng, Shuzhen Sim
Summary: This study assessed the indoor air quality (IAQ) risk in 100 air-conditioned small business units in Singapore's shophouses. The majority of the units had high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde, carbon dioxide (CO2), and carbon monoxide (CO), with nail salons exhibiting the highest pollution levels. Improving ventilation and using low-emission products could enhance the IAQ in these small business units.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Review
Construction & Building Technology
Xiaopu Lyu, Yunxi Huo, Jin Yang, Dawen Yao, Kaimin Li, Haoxian Lu, Yangzong Zeren, Hai Guo
Summary: This study focused on the molecular composition, source emissions, and chemical aging of air pollutants in a residence designed to replicate activities found in ordinary Hong Kong homes. More than 150 air pollutants were detected, with 87 quantified at a time resolution of not less than 1 hour. Indoor-to-outdoor ratios for primary air pollutants were generally higher than 1 due to indoor activities and backgrounds, while many secondary pollutants exhibited higher concentrations outdoors. Activities like painting and incense burning were found to be major emission sources for certain pollutants. Results also indicated evidence of chemical aging of cooking emissions, suggesting indoor heterogeneous chemistry. High time resolution measurements of organic molecules were emphasized for enhancing understanding of indoor air quality.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Evdokia Stratigou, Sebastien Dusanter, Joel Brito, Emmanuel Tison, Veronique Riffault
Summary: The indoor environment is often more polluted than the outdoors, and it is important to assess the sources of indoor pollutants. This study successfully developed a method to differentiate indoor and outdoor pollutant sources, and found that an unoccupied indoor environment acts as a source for VOCs, but a sink for particles.
Review
Construction & Building Technology
Amit Passi, S. M. Shiva Nagendra, M. P. Maiya
Summary: This research paper provides a comprehensive review of different types of air pollutants, their sources, health impacts, characteristics, and management in underground metro stations. Comparing actual pollutant levels with regulatory guidelines, it was found that particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, and bacteria were often above recommended limits. A focus on gaseous and biological pollutants, health risk assessment, and the influence of thermal parameters on IAQ perception in future research is recommended based on existing studies.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alexandre Baudet, Estelle Baures, Olivier Blanchard, Pierre Le Cann, Jean-Pierre Gangneux, Arnaud Florentin
Summary: Poor indoor air quality can have adverse effects on human health. The concentrations of carbon dioxide, fine particulate matter, and total volatile organic compounds were found to be higher in private healthcare and elderly care facilities, especially in dental offices. Increasing ventilation can help reduce pollutant concentrations and maintain good indoor air quality.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Yicheng Zeng, Prashik Manwatkar, Aurelie Laguerre, Marina Beke, Insung Kang, Akram S. Ali, Delphine K. Farmer, Elliott T. Gall, Mohammad Heidarinejad, Brent Stephens
Summary: The study evaluated the gas and particle removal effectiveness as well as potential byproduct formation of a commercially available in-duct bipolar ionization device through a series of experiments. The results showed that the operation of the ionization unit led to a decrease in certain hydrocarbons but an increase in oxygenated VOCs and toluene. Additionally, the ionizer had minimal impact on particle, O3, and NO2 concentrations during normal operating conditions, with slightly increased loss rates for ultrafine particles and slightly decreased loss rates for larger particles in particle injection and decay experiments.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Roger Sheu, Claire F. Fortenberry, Michael J. Walker, Azin Eftekhari, Christof Stoenner, Alexa Bakker, Jordan Peccia, Jonathan Williams, Glenn C. Morrison, Brent J. Williams, Drew R. Gentner
Summary: Detailed offline speciation of gas- and particle-phase organic compounds was conducted using gas/liquid chromatography with traditional and high-resolution mass spectrometers in a hybrid targeted/nontargeted analysis. Observations showed that indoor gas-phase organic compounds had higher abundances compared to outdoor environments and were strongly correlated with controlled emissions of tracer species. After ventilation, indoor emissions of volatile organic compounds doubled.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nicole Ninya, Laura Vallecillos, Rosa Maria Marce, Francesc Borrull
Summary: This study monitored the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semi-volatile organic compounds (semi-VOCs) in indoor and outdoor environments in a school in Tarragona, Spain. The results showed a significant increase in solvent concentrations indoors due to the implementation of COVID-19 measures. The concentrations of organic compounds in indoor air were twenty times higher than those outdoors.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Review
Construction & Building Technology
Sasan Sadrizadeh, Runming Yao, Feng Yuan, Hazim Awbi, William Bahnfleth, Yang Bi, Guangyu Cao, Cristiana Croitoru, Richard de Dear, Fariborz Haghighat, Prashant Kumar, Mojtaba Malayeri, Fuzhan Nasiri, Mathilde Ruud, Parastoo Sadeghian, Pawel Wargocki, Jing Xiong, Wei Yu, Baizhan Li
Summary: Indoor pollution has been ranked as one of the top environmental risks to public health, particularly affecting the health and development of students. Previous studies have focused on indoor air quality, ventilation, thermal comfort, etc., providing suggestions for improving school environments. However, future research is needed to further understand contaminant characteristics, regional differences, and the impact of indoor satisfaction on student performance and health.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yong -Lai Feng, Chun Yang, Xu-Liang Cao
Summary: In this study, IVOCs, VOCs, and SVOCs were characterized and measured in residential indoor air in Ottawa, Canada. IVOCs, including n-alkanes, branched-chain alkanes, unspecified complex mixtures, and oxygenated IVOCs, were found to significantly impact indoor air quality. Indoor IVOCs exhibited different behaviors compared to outdoor IVOCs, with a concentration range of 14.4 to 69.0 mu g/m(3) and accounting for approximately 20% of total organic compounds in indoor air. Branch-chain alkanes and UCM-IVOCs showed positive correlations with indoor temperature, while oxygenated IVOCs had a positive correlation with indoor relative humidity.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maneeshin Y. Rajapakse, Theresa E. Pistochini, Eva Borras, Mitchell M. McCartney, Cristina E. Davis
Summary: Air cleaning technologies are crucial for reducing indoor concentrations and exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, these technologies currently lack a standardized test to evaluate their effectiveness in removing VOCs. To address this issue, researchers developed a protocol to evaluate the performance of air cleaning devices in removing VOCs and tested it with two devices. The protocol involved injecting a mixture of VOCs and carbon dioxide into a test chamber, supplying outdoor air at a standard building ventilation rate, periodically measuring VOC concentrations using solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and comparing the decay rate of VOCs to carbon dioxide to assess the VOC removal performance. The results showed that the activated carbon air cleaner had a significantly higher clean air delivery rate compared to the hydroxyl radical generator (72.10 vs 6.32 m3/h).
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xiaojun Zhou, Xuejiao Dong, Ruixue Ma, Xinke Wang, Fenghao Wang
Summary: Fabrics are widely distributed in residential buildings and have strong adsorption properties for volatile organic compounds due to their porous structure. The effects of temperature and humidity on the partitioning behavior of VOCs on fabrics have not been quantitatively analyzed. A novel prediction model for the fabric partition coefficient shows improved accuracy in various conditions.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Dalia Buivydiene, Ana M. Todea, Christof Asbach, Edvinas Krugly, Dainius Martuzevicius, Linas Kliucininkas
Summary: Layering micro and nano fibers using melt and solution electrospinning offers a novel approach for achieving high filtration efficiency with low pressure drop. The optimized process parameters can lead to fibrous mats with favorable filtration characteristics. The presence of higher ratios of nano-sub micrometer to super micrometer fibers in the fibrous matrix is associated with higher filtration quality factors.
JOURNAL OF AEROSOL SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Polymer Science
Darius Ciuzas, Edvinas Krugly, Simona Sriubaite, Ingrida Pauliukaityte, Odeta Baniukaitiene, Mindaugas Bulota, Dainius Martuzevicius
Summary: By wet-type electrospinning of cellulose in ionic liquid, a fibrous matrix of cellulose was obtained. The most effective production took place with a 3% cellulose/BMIMAc solution at an electric field of 4.8 kV cm(-1) and feed rate of 2.38 ml h(-1), resulting in a porous structure with a density of 85 +/- 8 g/m(2). The mechanical properties showed a strong and resilient fibrous cellulose matrix that can be used for biocomposites or as biocompatible scaffolds.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Lauryna Dabasinskaite, Edvinas Krugly, Odeta Baniukaitiene, Dainius Martuzevicius, Darius Ciuzas, Lina Jankauskaite, Lauryna Aukstikalne, Arvydas Usas
Summary: Ozonation has been shown to be an effective surface modification technique for enhancing the properties of scaffolds in tissue engineering. In this study, PCL scaffolds were ozonated in a water reactor, resulting in improved wettability and enhanced cell proliferation. The treatment with ozone produced oxygen-containing functional groups, maintaining the fibrous morphology and mechanical properties of the scaffolds after 120 minutes.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Edvinas Krugly, Oleh Pitak, Darius Ciuzas, Martynas Tichonovas, Inga Stasiulaitiene, Inga Urniezaite, Linas Kliucininkas, Dainius Martuzevicius
Summary: This article presents a gas-to-particle conversion process for cleaning VOCs from ventilation air, which was tested in laboratory conditions and showed high efficiency in removing VOCs. The technology proves to be effective and energy efficient for the removal of VOCs from ventilation air.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Mindaugas Bulota, Darius Ciuzas, Edvinas Krugly, Ingrida Pauliukaityte, Odeta Baniukaitiene, Dainius Martuzevicius
Summary: A new method was developed in this study for preparing lightweight fiber-reinforced composites, which combined cellulose dissolution, fiber production through electrospinning, and composite preparation. The use of ionic liquid BMIMAc in the electrospinning process effectively prevented fiber fusion, resulting in strong, tough fiber-reinforced composites.
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Lauryna Dabasinskaite, Edvinas Krugly, Odeta Baniukaitiene, Darius Ciuzas, Dainius Martuzevicius, Lina Jankauskaite, Mantas Malinauskas, Arvydas Usas
Summary: An advanced therapy construct for cartilage regeneration was fabricated using cryo-electrospinning and contained the chondrogenic growth factor TGF beta-3. The construct was designed to promote chondral regeneration and subchondral bone formation by incorporating regenerated cellulose and hydroxyapatite.
BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Edvinas Krugly, Ingrida Pauliukaityte, Darius Ciuzas, Mindaugas Bulota, Laura Peciulyte, Dainius Martuzevicius
Summary: This study presents an optimized fabrication process for cellulose fibrous matrix by wet electrospinning, aiming to avoid film-like structures. Different types of ionic liquids were used, and a range of elution ratios were applied to coagulate cellulose and remove residual ionic liquid. The resulting fibrous matrix exhibited various morphologies.
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Edvinas Krugly, Oleh Pitak, Darius Ciuzas, Martynas Tichonovas, Inga Stasiulaitiene, Tadas Prasauskas, Linas Kliucininkas, Dainius Martuzevicius
Summary: This study presents a real-world testing of a novel hybrid gas-to-particle conversion system for the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from wood processing facilities. The system utilizes plasmolysis/ozonolysis, photolysis, nucleation, coagulation and agglomeration of aerosols, and precipitation of agglomerates in an electrostatic field to achieve efficient VOC removal. The results show a VOC removal efficiency of 92.8%, with 100% removal efficiency for specific VOCs. The gas-phase advanced oxidation system demonstrates competitive performance in treating VOC polluted flue gases with relatively low energy input.
PROCESS SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Lina Jankauskaite, Mantas Malinauskas, Lauryna Aukstikalne, Lauryna Dabasinskaite, Augustinas Rimkunas, Tomas Mickevicius, Alius Pockevicius, Edvinas Krugly, Dainius Martuzevicius, Darius Ciuzas, Odeta Baniukaitiene, Arvydas Usas
Summary: This study demonstrates the potential of ozone-treated PCL scaffolds loaded with TGF-beta 3 and hMDSCs for neocartilage formation.
Article
Environmental Sciences
V. Abromaitis, J. Svaikauskaite, A. Sulciute, D. Sinkeviciute, N. Zmuidzinaviciene, S. Misevicius, M. Tichonovas, I. Urniezaite, D. Jankunaite, M. Urbonavicius, S. Varnagiris, R. Dzingeleviciene, K. Baranauskis, D. Martuzevicius
Summary: The performance of synthesized TiO2 nanotube arrays (NTAs) for the removal of COVID-19 aided antibiotic and textile dye from wastewater was evaluated. The study found that the synthesis conditions of TiO2 NTAs directly influenced their formation and photocatalytic activity. The introduction of ozone greatly enhanced the degradation of the antibiotic, and the by-products of degradation were found to be toxic to aquatic organisms.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Mantas Malinauskas, Lina Jankauskaite, Lauryna Aukstikalne, Lauryna Dabasinskaite, Augustinas Rimkunas, Tomas Mickevicius, Alius Pockevicius, Edvinas Krugly, Dainius Martuzevicius, Darius Ciuzas, Odeta Baniukaitiene, Arvydas Usas
Summary: Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a suitable material for cartilage tissue engineering due to its mechanical strength, low immunogenicity, elasticity, and biodegradability. Enhancing the hydrophilicity of PCL scaffolds is necessary, and in this study, ozone treatment and TGF beta 3 loading were used to improve the properties of electrospun bilayer PCL scaffolds. In vitro and in vivo evaluations showed that the ozone-treated scaffold loaded with TGF beta 3 and rMDSCs demonstrated better chondrogenic potential and cartilage regeneration outcomes.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Edvinas Krugly, Preethi Ravikumar, Lauryna Dabasinskaite, Martynas Tichonovas, Darius Ciuzas, Tadas Prasauskas, Odeta Baniukaitiene, Goda Masione, Violeta Kauneliene, Dainius Martuzevicius
Summary: This manuscript presents the application of nanofibrous filtration technology for aerosol sampling through the fabrication and validation of sampling filters. Four composite filters were created using different polymers, and their layered structure allowed for efficient particle collection and low pressure drop. The obtained results indicate that these filters are suitable for customized filtering substrates for subsequent analysis of collected particles.
JOURNAL OF AEROSOL SCIENCE
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Lauryna Dabasinskaite, Edvinas Krugly, Odeta Baniukaitiene, Darius Ciuzas, Dainius Martuzevicius
TISSUE ENGINEERING PART A
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Marija Meisutovic-Akhtarieva, Tadas Prasauskas, Darius Ciuzas, Violeta Kaunelien, Dainius Martuzevicius
Summary: This study assessed the dynamics of exhaled aerosols from HTPs and ECs, finding that HTPs generally had lower aerosol number concentration. ECs exhibited faster decrease in aerosol concentration after puffs, indicating higher volatility of particles. Additionally, distance to bystander was shown to significantly affect aerosol dynamics.
AEROSOL AND AIR QUALITY RESEARCH
(2021)
