Air pollution has been increasingly posing
a threat to public health in Korea.
It's prompted the nation to take steps on
the various levels to come up with practical
measures to minimize the damage.
Among such efforts, a device to reduce the
pollution from car exhaust has been developed
by a government-funded research institution.
Lee Un-shin, has the details.
Diesel vehicles are one of the main culprits
of air pollution..., and the government-funded
Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials
has developed a new device that helps tackle
emissions from such vehicles.
The device is called the Plasma burner, which
is a diesel particulate filter.
According to the institute, the device removes
up to 95 percent of dust and nitrogen oxide
from diesel engine-emitted exhaust gas.
The device allows for the temperature to rise
up to 600 degrees Celsius, effectively burning
pollution particles.
"The plasma in the burner, keeps the temperature
of the device high.
This is what's significantly different about
this new technology compared to standard filters
that couldn't effectively maintain their temperatures
high enough to burn off particulate matter.
The portable size of this device also makes
it ideal for any type of vehicle."
The institute is currently working on getting
the environment ministry's official approval
certification.
Once it is approved, it can be applied to
any diesel vehicles as soon as next year.
Meanwhile, the government of Seoul announced
on Thursday its list of ideas to raise awareness
of the on-going air pollution issue.
The list introduces recommendations such as
utilizing bikes or public transportation instead
of driving, as well as avoiding outdoor activities
when there's a fine dust alert in place.
Along with the government's measures proposed
last week, the recommendations aim to improve
the air quality of the nation as well as to
decrease related health problems caused by
air pollution.
Lee Un-shin, Arirang News.
