Cleaning Air with Balloons
How can balloons clean air?Copyright Microsoft Corporation, 1983-2001.
Students observe and discuss a simple balloon model of an electrostatic precipitator to better understand how this pollutant recovery method functions in cleaning industrial air pollution.
Environmental and mechanical engineers invent new techniques to prevent industrial air pollution. In an electrostatic precipitator, a static charge attracts pollution particles to electrified plates of metal, similar to how static electricity in clothing attracts bits of lint. This technique works very well on emissions from power plants, steel or paper mills, smelters and cement plants. And, engineers design small versions to keep the air in your home cleaner to breathe.
Figure 1. How an electrostatic precipitator cleans polluted air.Copyright Natalie Mach, Graduate Fellow, Integrated Teaching and Learning Program, College of Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, 2004.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Describe and explain how an electrostatic precipitator works as a pollutant recovery method.
- Describe how engineers create technology to help industry clean up their air pollution.
- Apply knowledge of percentages to understand technological efficiency.