THERMAL SCIENCE

International Scientific Journal

Thermal Science - Online First

Milan Z. Protić

,

Aca V. Božilov

,

Viša Tasić

,

Ivan M. Lazović

,

Nikola Mišić

,

Bojan Radović

online first only

Evaluating the effect of a modified air purifier on air quality in an apartment in Niš, Serbia

ABSTRACT
Niš, Serbia residents constantly face the severe and pressing issue of air pollution, particularly from suspended particulate matter fractions PM10 and PM2.5. Conditions worsen significantly during the heating season, as the predominant combustion of wood, pellets, and solid fossil fuels in residential dwellings causes particulate matter concentrations to rise abruptly, exceeding levels more than twice as high as those during the non-heating season. Outdoor pollution easily infiltrates indoors and, together with indoor pollution, drastically degrades the quality of indoor air. Deteriorated indoor air quality poses a significant health risk, as individuals spend a lot of time indoors. This study evaluates the impact of a commercially available air purifier on reducing concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 in an apartment in Niš throughout 2024. The analysis reveals that the air purifier´s operation significantly reduces the concentration of suspended particles indoors during both the heating and non-heating seasons for PM10 and PM2.5. Furthermore, a comparison of indoor and outdoor particulate concentration ratios between the heating and non-heating seasons shows that these ratios are lower during the heating season for both particle fractions.
KEYWORDS
air quality, monitoring, Air purifier, particulate matter
PAPER SUBMITTED: 2025-01-22
PAPER REVISED: 2025-03-03
PAPER ACCEPTED: 2025-03-10
PUBLISHED ONLINE: 2025-05-10
DOI REFERENCE: https://doi.org/10.2298/TSCI250122089P
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Evaluating the effect of a modified air purifier on air quality in an apartment in Niš, Serbia