Tightening environmental requirements are making it necessary, in an increasing number of places, to modernize electrostatic precipitators or apply them in new situations. Beyond traditional applications (e.g. coal-fired power plants, cement plants), electrostatic dust separation can also be used to reduce vehicle emissions, primarily the soot emissions of diesel-powered vehicles. The technology has already been successfully demonstrated in the laboratory, but industrial applicability requires ensuring efficient operation across a wide range of parameters.