Korea team turns cars into air cleaning machines
Researchers in South Korea fitted a special kit to two cars to scrub roadside air and catch brake dust while driving.
The system uses a grille that charges particles and plates that pull them out of the airflow without needing extra fans. Tests showed it removes most small dust while keeping fuel efficiency changes under 1% during normal travel.
A second collector sits near the brake caliper to grab wear particles that already carry an electric charge from friction. This device caught about twenty-two milligrams of dust per kilometer over a standard test cycle according to the team.
Project lead Bangwoo Han stated that cars can clean roadside air while stopping brake dust at its origin point. This approach tackles pollution beyond the tailpipe by filtering air as cars move through busy city streets.
Senior researcher Gun Hee Lee added that they plan to further validate performance and long-term durability under actual driving conditions soon. The team hopes to confirm the level of cleanliness a busy street would achieve with these active cleaning systems installed.