The advent of spring in Korea brings warmer temperatures,... but also brings a guest that always outstays its welcome: fine dust.<br />Help may be at hand with local researchers developing a new nano-fiber based filter technology that can collect more nasty particles than anything that's on the market now.<br />Cho Sung-min reports. <br /><br /> <br /> Local researchers have recently come up with a new air-filtering technology using nano-fiber material.<br />The tiny fibers enable the material to catch more of the microscopic fine dust pollution that's been making Korea's skies so hazy this spring.<br />Teams from the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology and from Chonnam National University... say their material collects 25 percent more fine dust than existing air filters.<br /> If used in a car, it could get rid of all the fine dust inside in just 16 minutes.<br />That's even if the dust was at the level of 70 micrograms per square meter... more than twice the amount considered safe by the World Health Organization.<br /><br /> The new material also helps reduce pressure loss -- something that's a problem with almost all fiber-based air filters on the market.<br />Normally, filters that catch a lot of dust also block air circulation, creates noise and consumes more energy.<br />The new nano-fiber material, in that respect, is a huge improvement.<br /><br /> "Compared to existing fiber-based models... we were able to minimize pressure loss by 30 percent while maintaining the same dust collection capacity."<br /><br /> The team says, in addition to cars, the technology could also work in smart masks and window filters.<br />Currently, they're looking at other areas, like batteries and medical equipment,...where the technology could be implemented.<br />Cho Sung-min, arirang news. <br />
