Drying of virus-containing aerosol particles: Modelling effects of droplet origin and composition

Abstract

AbstractBackground and PurposeVirus-containing aerosol droplets emitted by breathing, speech or coughing dry rapidly to equilibrium with ambient relative humidity (RH), increasing in solute concentration with effects on virus survival and decreasing in diameter with effects on sedimentation and respiratory uptake. The aim of this paper is to model the effect of ionic and macromolecular solutes on droplet drying and solute concentration.MethodsDeliquescence-efflorescence concepts and Kohler theory were used to simulate the evolution of solute concentrations and water activity in respiratory droplets, starting from efflorescence data on mixed NaCl/KCl aerosols and osmotic pressure data on respiratory macromolecules.ResultsIn NaCl/KCl solutions supersaturated total salt concentrations were shown to reach 10-15M at the efflorescence RH of 40-55%, depending on the K:Na ratio. Dependence on K:Na ratio implies that the evaporation curves differ between aerosols derived from saliva and from airway surfaces. The direct effect of liquid droplet size through the Kelvin term was shown to be smaller and largely restricted to breath emissions. Modelling the effect of proteins and glycoproteins showed that salts determine drying equilibria down to the efflorescence RH, and macromolecules at lower RH.ConclusionDifferences in drying behaviour are predicted between breathing, speech and coughing emissions and between droplet size fractions within these. High salt concentrations may inactivate some viruses.