Time to bring back propeller driven planes ...

[Churchill]

Alright, so no filter, just the dyson style centrifuge thingummy.

Particle separators can be found on some turbo-prop planes and Gas Turbine helicopters - predominantly to reduce FOD.

iirc Dysons do have a smaller filter for pollen etc. the cyclone doesn't capture very fine dust.

All Dyson vacuums have lifetime filters. By washing rather than replacing them you save money – and help reduce landfill.

[Mich the Tester]

Particle separators can be found on some turbo-prop planes and Gas Turbine helicopters - predominantly to reduce FOD.

iirc Dysons do have a smaller filter for pollen etc. the cyclone doesn't capture very fine dust.

If the dangerous dust is glass then it must be quite a lot heavier than pollen; would that not cause it to fly to the outside of the centrifuge where it can be gathered?

[TimberWolf]

Filtering 1.2 tonnes of air per engine every second is impractical.

But a (non turbo prop/fan etc) propeller engine might only need that much filtered air for an entire flight. Only guessing though. Say a air to fuel ratio in the order of 10 to 50 :1.

[Churchill]

If the dangerous dust is glass then it must be quite a lot heavier than pollen; would that not cause it to fly to the outside of the centrifuge where it can be gathered?

And increase the weight of the aircraft the further it flies?

[Mich the Tester]

And increase the weight of the aircraft the further it flies?

Well, yep, but by how much?

[Churchill]

Well, yep, but by how much?

Depends on air-dust ratio, you wouldn't know until you were collecting it and then what happens if you've collected more than the weight of fuel you've consumed?

[TimberWolf]

For filtering fine particles you could draw the air down a narrow mucus lined pipe coated with little hairs (call then cillia for the sake of argument) and every now and then expel the mucus forcefully in a sort of reverse thrust convulsive splutter.

[Mich the Tester]

Depends on air-dust ratio, you wouldn't know until you were collecting it and then what happens if you've collected more than the weight of fuel you've consumed?

Easy. You drop it on Andyw's house.

[sasguru]

And increase the weight of the aircraft the further it flies?

You could have a mechanism for continuously ejecting it - maybe towards the rear to increase thrust.

[Churchill]

For filtering fine particles you could draw the air down a narrow mucus lined pipe coated with little hairs (call then cillia for the sake of argument) and every now and then expel the mucus forcefully in a sort of reverse thrust convulsive splutter.

I'd like to see a 747 sneeze...