How efficient can electrostatic precipitators be at removing particulate matter?

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New York City skyline tinted orange from wildfire smoke. — air pollution control Even something as simple as breathing can get complicated.

Electrostatic precipitators are highly efficient devices used in air pollution control to remove fine particulate matter from industrial and residential gas streams.

These units can remove particles as small as 1 μm with an efficiency exceeding 99 percent. Depending on factors such as gas temperature, flow rate, particle size, chemical composition, and the specific design and voltage of the unit, some electrostatic precipitators are capable of collecting 99.9 percent or more of the dust from gas exhaust. They are particularly effective at capturing fine particles—including those smaller than 2.5 microns—which are often the most hazardous to human health.12