Emission of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and particulate matter from domestic combustion of selected fuels

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and particulate matter (PM) emission were monitored for three common fuel-stove systems in Southeast Asia, namely, Eucalyptus wood sticks open burning, charcoal stove, and coal briquette stove. Smoke samples were taken isokinetically from the flue pipe of a hood and analyzed for PAH using HPLC/FLD and UV. Wood fuel burning produced the highest emission of 18 PAH and 11 genotoxic PAH in terms of the emission factor on energy basis (mg/MJ), emission rate, and pollutant concentration in smoke, while the charcoal produced the least. On a fuel- weight basis, wood fuel produced almost the same emission factor of the total of 18 PAH (110 mg/kg) as coal briquettes but twice as much as genotoxic PAH, 13.4 vs 6.5 mg/kg. The wood fuel high burning rate, however, resulted in the highest total 18 PAH emission rate (208 mg/h) and concentration (957 μg/m3), leading to a high exposure to toxic pollutants. The PM emission factor in milligrams per kilogram of fuel was 51, 36, and 7 for the wood, charcoal, and coal briquettes, respectively. The largest fraction of PAH in PM was found for wood fuel burning smoke. The average daily cooking of a household of 2-3 releases 40 mg of genotoxic PAH from wood fuel, 9 mg from coal briquettes, and 3.3 mg from charcoal burning. The charcoal fuel stove was identified as the cleanest system, not taking into account the pollutant emission during charcoal production.Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and particulate matter (PM) emission were monitored for three common fuel-stove systems in Southeast Asia, namely, Eucalyptus wood sticks open burning, charcoal stove, and coal briquette stove. Smoke samples were taken isokinetically from the flue pipe of a hood and analyzed for PAH using HPLC/FLD and UV. Wood fuel burning produced the highest emission of 18 PAH and 11 genotoxic PAH in terms of the emission factor on energy basis (mg/MJ), emission rate, and pollutant concentration in smoke, while the charcoal produced the least. On a fuel-weight basis, wood fuel produced almost the same emission factor of the total of 18 PAH (110 mg/kg) as coal briquettes but twice as much as genotoxic PAH, 13.4 vs 6.5 mg/kg. The wood fuel high burning rate, however, resulted in the highest total 18 PAH emission rate (208 mg/h) and concentration (957 μg/m3), leading to a high exposure to toxic pollutants. The PM emission factor in milligrams per kilogram of fuel was 51, 36, and 7 for the wood, charcoal, and coal briquettes, respectively. The largest fraction of PAH in PM was found for wood fuel burning smoke. The average daily cooking of a household of 2-3 releases 40 mg of genotoxic PAH from wood fuel, 9 mg from coal briquettes, and 3.3 mg from charcoal burning. The charcoal fuel stove was identified as the cleanest system, not taking into account the pollutant emission during charcoal production.