Bioenvironmental Engineering (BEE) Block 4 Practice Test

Particulate filters are designed to capture solid or liquid particles suspended in air. Those particles form aerosols when they’re dispersed in the air, so particulate filters are the type that protect against aerosols. They work by physical mechanisms like interception, impaction, and diffusion to trap particles as air passes through the filter medium.

They don’t remove gases or vapors, which require chemical adsorbents such as activated carbon, and they don’t shield against radiation. Dust is a type of aerosol, but the scope of particulate filters includes more than just dust, such as smoke and mist particles. That’s why aerosols is the best match for what particulate filters protect against.