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July 31, 2023

The air we breathe

What do you know about the air we breathe? Facts about lungs & breathing

The lungs are the primary organ of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including a few snails and fish. Humans have two lungs, one on the left and one on the right. They are located in the thoracic cavity of the chest. The right lung is larger and heavier than the left, which shares its space in the chest cavity with the heart. It is possible to live a relatively normal live with only one lung.

The lungs together weigh approximately 1.3 kilograms (2.9 pounds). The lower respiratory tract begins at the trachea and branches into the bronchi and bronchioles, which receive air breathed in. The alveoli, where gas exchange takes place, are initially located in the pulmonary bronchioles. Oxygen is exchanged for carbon dioxide at the blood-air barrier between the alveolar air and the pulmonary capillaries. The lungs contain about 2,400 kilometers of airways and 300 to 500 million alveoli. When expanded, the total surface area of the lungs would be about the size of half a tennis court.

Bronchioles & Alveoli (1)

Bronchioles & Alveoli

A healthy adult breathes in and out about eight liters of air per minute. During physical activity, this value can increase three to four times, and even 15 times for well-trained athletes. An average adult breathes about 12 times per minute (at rest), or about 22,000 times per day. With every breath, our lungs fuel us with the body’s life-sustaining gas, oxygen. But the air around us consists of oxygen and 78 percent nitrogen. What we breathe in large quantities determines our health. The tissue of the lungs can be affected by a number of respiratory diseases, including pneumonia and lung cancer. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, including chronic bronchitis, may be related to smoking or exposure to pollutants such as ultrafine particles.

What we breathe determines our health. Our breathing and our lungs are precious. We need to protect them. At AeroSolfd project, we aim to improve air quality to achieve cleaner air for everyone.

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Sources:
https://www.lung.ca/lung-health/lung-info/breathing
https://floridachest.com/pulmonary-blog/lung-facts
https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/sites/default/files/medien/2546/publikationen/sp_1-2019_web.pdf

6th General Assembly

AeroSolfd Site Visit at LINK Engineering An exclusive site visit to our partner, LINK Engineering, in Limburg an der Lahn, Germany offered an unique opportunity to witness first-hand the progress of the AeroSolfd project, with a particular focus on our retrofit solution for brake dust particulate filters for buses and trucks, as well as the test cycles developed in different cities for…

Project results in real live 

New testing phase by Metro Lisboa The EU Project AeroSolfd partner Metropolitano de Lisboa has launched a new phase of testing as part of the project in the semi-closed space of the metro station Quinta das Conchas in Lisbon during the month of April. The setup includes: 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘀: Supplied by…

15th VERT Forum 2025

Driving Innovation for Cleaner Air VERT Forum 2025 brought together global experts, researchers, policy makers and industry leaders in Switzerland to explore the latest advances in emission reduction technologies. This year’s discussions focused on practical solutions for reducing particulate emissions from combustion engines, the role of retrofitting in existing vehicle fleets, and the latest regulatory…

RTR 2025

Conference on the state of the art of European funded research projects in road transport. As the RTR Conference entered its 8th edition, it continues to showcase key achievements from EU-funded projects in road transport. Discussions highlighted advances in green vehicles, urban mobility and intelligent transport systems, emphasising their role in shaping a cleaner, more…

New Publication Alert

𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐓𝐈: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐦 The project partner VERT-Association latest publication. “𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐓𝐈: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐦—𝐀 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐔𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐍 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐅𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬” explores innovative approaches to reducing particle number (PN) emissions from combustion engine fleets, a major contributor to urban air pollution. This…

Interactive Map

AeroSolfd released an Interactive Map The EU Project AeroSolfd released an interactive tool that showcases the impact of our retrofit solutions on urban air quality. This user-friendly interactive map allows the user to track the effects of the project’s solutions in a comprehensive and intuitive way. With its engaging visualizations, it allows to gain a…

6th Newstrack

Sixth AeroSolfd Newsletter The latest issue of the AeroSolfd Newstrack is out! Read about the updates on our recent project milestones, research findings and events. Subscribe for future eidtions If you have not yet subscribed to the AeroSolfd newsletter, you can comfortably receive future issues by email by subscribing here.

Contribution of brake emissions to measured exposure

Insights on measuring the exposure levels of air pollutants in (semi-)closed spaces AUTHOR(S): Teresa Moreno1, Stefanos Agathokleous1, Carlos Casado 2, Amaya Manso3, Katie Kedwell4, Martin Lehmann4(1 CSIC, 2 CARTIF, 3 AUVASA, 4 M+H) In AeroSolfd we are measuring the exposure levels of air pollutants at semi-indoor sites such as bus transportation depots and metro stations. For…

Overall Sustainability Framework

Insights to NFA’s Sustainability Assessment The Horizon Europe project AeroSolfd aims to develop and demonstrate three different types of retrofit solutions to mitigate exposure to particulate air pollution. The solutions are exhaust particle filters on petrol cars, brake wear filters for buses, and filter squares for (semi-)closed environments. While the expected direct benefits are obvious,…

Unveiling the Hidden World of Ultrafine Particles

Nature’s Secrets and Human-Made Challenges In the realm of air quality and human health, few subjects are as captivating and consequential as ultrafine particles (UFPs). These tiny, often invisible particles, with diameters less than 0.1 micrometers, hold a wealth of secrets and challenges that impact our environment, climate, and well-being. Today, we embark on an…

The air we breathe

What do you know about the air we breathe? Facts about lungs & breathing The lungs are the primary organ of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including a few snails and fish. Humans have two lungs, one on the left and one on the right. They are located in the thoracic…

2nd Newstrack

Second AeroSolfd Newsletter The second issue of the AeroSolfd Newstrack is out! We mark the end of our first project year here, share our project updates with you and take a look at future activities. Subscribe for future editions If you have not yet subscribed to the AeroSolfd newsletter, you can comfortably receive future issues…

Metropolitano de Lisboa’s Project AeroSolfd Activities

Metropolitano de Lisboa & AeroSolfd Air quality is of greatest relevance for Metropolitano de Lisboa (ML), the metro system from Lisbon, as it directly impacts the health and wellbeing of their passengers and employees. Poor air quality can lead to respiratory problems, allergies, and other health issues, which can ultimately result in reduced productivity and…

Ultrafine Particles as Health Risk

Project AeroSolfd aims to reduce traffic-related fine dust and ultrafine particles (UFP). But what are these particles and why is it so urgent that we tackle them? Due to their size, there are different categories of particles and depending on how big they are, they can penetrate the human body to different depths causing serious…

Horizon Europe project AeroSolfd and its tailpipe retrofit solution at 13th VERT Forum

AeroSolfd presents three retrofit solutions to reduce traffic-related emissions The project AeroSolfd is focussing on developing market-ready retrofit solutions to immediately decrease the harmful effects on health and the environment of transport-related emissions with effective filtration devices. AeroSolfd will deliver affordable, easy-to-install and environmentally friendly retrofit solutions to reduce tailpipe and brake emissions and pollution…

Filter for cleaner air

AeroSolfd presents three retrofit solutions to reduce traffic-related emissions Stuttgart, 13 February 2023 – Air pollution is a complex problem to be tackled. The co-funded EU-Project AeroSolfd aims to reduce traffic-related emissions through the deployment of three retrofit (filtration) solutions for tailpipes, brakes and (semi-)closed environments. AeroSolfd will be present at FILTECH, the largest filtration…

1st Newstrack

First AeroSolfd Newsletter The first issue of the AeroSolfd Newstrack is out! We would like to share our project updates with you and close the year with a look back at some of our highlights in 2022. Subscribe for future editions If you have not yet subscribed to the AeroSolfd newsletter, you can comfortably receive…

Kick-off Event

The European Commission and the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation award funding for an €8.2 million project on cleaner urban air In May 2022, the innovation project AeroSolfd started with a kick-off event in Ludwigsburg, Germany. The AeroSolfd consortium – led by MANN+HUMMEL – will deliver affordable, adaptable, and environmentally friendly retrofit…

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