A Simulation Study to Evaluate the Feasibility of a Simple Car Cabin Air Cleaning Device Using Windshield Washer Fluid as a Wet Scrubber

Abstract

The feasibility of an air cleaning device that uses windshield washer fluid to remove some volatile organic pollutants from the car indoor air was evaluated by a simulation model developed in this study. The simulation results showed that formaldehyde, a hydrophilic volatile organic pollutant, was shown to be effectively removed. Even after one month of continuous use of the device, high removal efficiency was maintained. The intake rates of 55 volatile organic pollutants in a car cabin for a month were estimated. In the calculation, two scenarios, Typical and Occupational uses, were assumed. Under the Typical use scenario, a person was supposed to ride on a car twice a day for 30 min each every day for a month (30 days). On the other hand, under the Occupational use scenario, a person was supposed to ride on a car 8 h per one-time and 21 times per a month. The simulation results showed that the estimated intake rates of hydrophilic volatile organic pollutants such as formaldehyde could be drastically reduced. Under the Occupational use scenario, the estimated intake rate of formaldehyde was reduced by 80％.