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Lesson: A Merry-Go-Round for Dirty Air

Contributed by: Integrated Teaching and Learning Program, College of Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder

A drawing of a swirling tornado.

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Summary

Students observe and discuss a cup and pencil model of a cyclone to better understand how this pollutant recovery method functions in cleaning industrial air pollution.

Engineering Connection

As environmental engineers are faced with more types of industrial pollution, they must design even more innovative techniques to prevent it. In the cyclone method of pollution recovery, dust-laden gas is whirled very rapidly inside a collector shaped like a cylinder. The swirling motion creates centrifugal forces that cause the particles to be thrown against the walls of the cylinder and drop into a collection hopper. Cyclones can remove up to 95% of solid pollutants from cotton gins, rock crushers and many other industrial processes.


Contents

  1. Learning Objectives
  2. Materials
  3. Introduction/Motivation
  4. Procedure
  5. Attachments
  6. Safety Issues
  7. Troubleshooting Tips
  8. Assessment
  9. Extensions
  10. Activity Scaling
  11. References

Grade Level: 5 (4-6) Lesson #: Not provided
Time Required: 15 minutes
Lesson Dependency :None
Keywords: air pollution, air, environment, pollution, industry, technology, cyclone
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Related Curriculum

Educational Standards :    

  •   Colorado Math
  •   Colorado Science
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Learning Objectives (Return to Contents)

A diagram shows polluted factory air being swirled about in a mechanically provided wind. By centrifugal force, heavy pollutant particles fall into a hopper, and clean air is released
Figure 1. How a cyclone system cleans polluted air.
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After this activity, students should be able to:

  • Describe and explain how a cyclone works.
  • Give examples of when the use of a cyclone is appropriate.
  • Compare a cyclone model with what it represents.
  • Describe how engineers create technology to help industry minimize air pollution.
  • Use their knowledge of percentages to understand technological efficiency.

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