Understanding the Global Status of Particulate Matter with Respect to Research Topics and Research Networks

Kayoung Kim Young Ho Byun Donghyuk Lee Noeon Park

Atmospheric pollution caused by particulate matter (PM), which has been identified as a carcinogen, is a major concern in South Korea, with various PM emission sources identified, including vehicles and power plants. The Korean government recently announced plans to increase research and development (R&D) expenditure to reduce PM levels in the atmosphere. In this study, the research topics and research networks for PM technology are summarized to help policymakers to more efficiently plan future R&D investment. A topic model is implemented to identify the main keywords from Science Citation Index (SCI) papers related to PM, and social network analysis is used to understand research collaboration between different countries or institutions. The results reveal that China and the USA published the largest number of SCI papers related to PM research, while South Korea was ranked in the top five globally. Unlike China and South Korea, developed countries such as the USA, Germany, and France have been carrying out PM research on climate change, ozone, NH3, nanoparticles, and the health effects on pregnant women. The primary research networks are centered on China and the USA, while South Korea has weak collaboration with other countries or institutions. More effort is thus required to improve strategic R&D investment and the research network within Korea.