- Succeeded in 95% reduction of 1.0 micro or smaller ultrafine dust 

- In addition to power plants, various applications such as to steel mills, smelters and petrochemical plants are expected.

■ The technology to reduce ultrafine dust (PM2.5) and super-ultrafine dust (PM1.0) emitted from domestic power generation and industry to the world's highest level has been developed by domestic researchers and its demonstration has been completed. 

■ Korea Institute of Energy Research and Technology (President Kwak Byong-sung) succeeded in developing the ‘Hybrid electrostatic spray wet electric precipitator’ that can remove more than 90% of 1.0 micro or smaller dusts contained in thermal power plant emissions.

□ The researchers introduced electrostatic spray technology to wet electric precipitators to reduce emissions of ultrafine dust that could not be removed with existing electric precipitators and ultrafine plaster particles generated during the desulfurization process. 

□ Electrostatic spraying is a technology in which ions in a liquid move to the surface and are transformed into fine droplets (water masses) of several tens of micrometers by supplying positive and negative high voltages to the liquid passing through the nozzle during spraying. 

□ If this technology is applied to the cyclone precipitator, which is widely used in most industries, it can spray fine water droplets with high charge quantity of several kilovolts (kV) inside the precipitator so the 10 micrometer or bigger fine dust can be collected by centrifugal force and gravitational sedimentation, and the ultrafine dust can be collected by electrostatic attraction and ion aggregation

□ After the development of this technology, the researchers conducted empirical research at the Korea Midland Power Boryeong Generation Headquarters Power Plant #1 for about four months, and demonstrated its excellent performance of reducing ultrafine dust and ultrafine plaster particles additionally produced in the desulfurization process to *the world’s highest level (PM2.5 97%, PM1.0 95%).

* The world's highest level at present: PM2.5 (NCM of Japan, 90%), PM1.0 (no existing data)

■ Principal researcher, Dr. Choi Jong-won of Energy Saving Technologies Lab. said “Electrostatic spray technology can minimize the generation of waste water while reducing gaseous dust such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and volatile organic compounds with high efficiency in addition to ultrafine dust. Its installation area is smaller than the commonly used precipitators and the use of solution is very small. Thus, it is expected to be highlighted as a future value business in the domestic environment field.”

□ This empirical research was jointly conducted as part of the energy technology development project of the Korea Institute of Energy Evaluation with Dongwon Heavy Industries and Chung-Ang University Industry-Academic Cooperation Group,  and the researchers plan to carry out additional empirical researches to apply it to power plants, steel mills, smelters, and petrochemical processes with high dust emissions.