How villages contribute to their local air quality – the influence of traffic- and biomass combustion-related emissions assessed by mobile mappings of PM and its components

Heat produced from woody biomass accounts for a significant portion of renewable energy in the United States. Economic and federal policy factors driving institutional adoption of woody biomass heating systems have been identified and examined in previous studies, as have the effects of state policies in support of biomass heating. However, plans for a number of mid- to large-scale biomass facilities have been abandoned after being proposed in communities with many of the factors and policies considered favorable to the adoption of such systems. In many of these cases, opponents cited potential negative impacts on local air quality, despite being generally in favor of renewable energy. This study employed a zero inflated negative binomial (ZINB) statistical model to determine if state policies, air quality, and local attitudes toward renewable energy have a significant effect on the adoption and retention of distributed-scale biomass combustion systems used for institutional heating. State policy appears to have a negligible effect, while the influences of historic and current air pollution and local emissions appear insignificant. However, local attitudes in favor of renewable energy are associated with the adoption and retention of distributed-scale woody biomass heating systems. This is an indication of the importance of local support in determining the fate of future biomass energy projects.

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Emission of fine particles (PM2.5) from residential biomass combustion in Croatia and how to reduce it

Environmental engineering ◽

10.37023/ee.7.2.6 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 84-94

Author(s):

Mirela Poljanac

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Human Health ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Fine Particles ◽

Biomass Combustion ◽

Rural And Urban Areas ◽

Wood Burning ◽

Rural And Urban ◽

The Impact ◽

Pm2.5 Emissions

Wood burning in residential appliances is very represented in the Republic of Croatia. It is a main or an additional form of heating for many households in rural and urban areas and is therefore an important source of air pollution. The choice of energy and the combustion appliance used in home have a significant impact on PM2.5 emissions. The paper informs the reader about PM2.5 emissions, their main sources and impacts on human health, environment, climate, air quality, and the reason why PM2.5 emissions from residential wood burning are harmful. Paper also gives an overview of spatial PM2.5 emission distribution in Croatia, their five air quality zones and four agglomerations. The paper analyses the sources and their contribution to PM2.5 emissions with the relevance of PM2.5 emissions from residential plants, the use of fuels in residential plants and their contribution to PM2.5 emissions and PM2.5 emissions by fuel combustion technologies in residential sector. Appropriate strategies, policies, and actions to reduce the impact of residential biomass (wood) burning on the environment, air quality and human health are considered.

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Source influence on emission pathways and ambient PM<sub>2.5</sub> pollution over India (2015–2050)

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-18-8017-2018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 18 (11) ◽

pp. 8017-8039 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

Chandra Venkataraman ◽

Michael Brauer ◽

Kushal Tibrewal ◽

Pankaj Sadavarte ◽

Qiao Ma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Particulate Matter ◽

Air Quality ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Biomass Combustion ◽

Anthropogenic Source ◽

Population Exposure ◽

Future Economic Development ◽

Future Air Pollution

Abstract. India is currently experiencing degraded air quality, and future economic development will lead to challenges for air quality management. Scenarios of sectoral emissions of fine particulate matter and its precursors were developed and evaluated for 2015–2050, under specific pathways of diffusion of cleaner and more energy-efficient technologies. The impacts of individual source sectors on PM2.5 concentrations were assessed through systematic simulations of spatially and temporally resolved particulate matter concentrations, using the GEOS-Chem model, followed by population-weighted aggregation to national and state levels. We find that PM2.5 pollution is a pan-India problem, with a regional character, and is not limited to urban areas or megacities. Under present-day emissions, levels in most states exceeded the national PM2.5 annual standard (40 µg m−3). Sources related to human activities were responsible for the largest proportion of the present-day population exposure to PM2.5 in India. About 60 % of India's mean population-weighted PM2.5 concentrations come from anthropogenic source sectors, while the remainder are from other sources, windblown dust and extra-regional sources. Leading contributors are residential biomass combustion, power plant and industrial coal combustion and anthropogenic dust (including coal fly ash, fugitive road dust and waste burning). Transportation, brick production and distributed diesel were other contributors to PM2.5. Future evolution of emissions under regulations set at current levels and promulgated levels caused further deterioration of air quality in 2030 and 2050. Under an ambitious prospective policy scenario, promoting very large shifts away from traditional biomass technologies and coal-based electricity generation, significant reductions in PM2.5 levels are achievable in 2030 and 2050. Effective mitigation of future air pollution in India requires adoption of aggressive prospective regulation, currently not formulated, for a three-pronged switch away from (i) biomass-fuelled traditional technologies, (ii) industrial coal-burning and (iii) open burning of agricultural residue. Future air pollution is dominated by industrial process emissions, reflecting larger expansion in industrial, rather than residential energy demand. However, even under the most active reductions envisioned, the 2050 mean exposure, excluding any impact from windblown mineral dust, is estimated to be nearly 3 times higher than the WHO Air Quality Guideline.

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Measurement report: Spatiotemporal and policy-related variations of PM<sub>2.5</sub> composition and sources during 2015–2019 at multiple sites in a Chinese megacity

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-21-16219-2021 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (21) ◽

pp. 16219-16235

Author(s):

Xinyao Feng ◽

Yingze Tian ◽

Qianqian Xue ◽

Danlin Song ◽

Fengxia Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Spatial Clustering ◽

Sampling Period ◽

Temporal Variations ◽

Average Concentration ◽

Biomass Combustion ◽

Industrial Emissions ◽

Traffic Emission ◽

Average Percentage ◽

Layer 2

Abstract. A thorough understanding of the relationship between urbanization and PM2.5 (fine particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 µm) variation is crucial for researchers and policymakers to study health effects and improve air quality. In this study, we selected a rapidly developing Chinese megacity, Chengdu, as the study area to investigate the spatiotemporal and policy-related variations of PM2.5 composition and sources based on long-term observation at multiple sites. A total of 836 samples were collected from 19 sites in winter 2015–2019. According to the specific characteristics, 19 sampling sites were assigned to three layers. Layer 1 was the most urbanized area and referred to the core zone of Chengdu, layer 2 was located in the outer circle of layer 1, and layer 3 belonged to the outermost zone with the lowest urbanization level. The average PM2.5 concentrations for 5 years were in the order of layer 2 (133 µg m−3) > layer 1 (126 µg m−3) > layer 3 (121 µg m−3). Spatial clustering of the chemical composition at the sampling sites was conducted for each year. The PM2.5 composition of layer 3 in 2019 was found to be similar to that of the other layers 2 or 3 years ago, implying that urbanization levels had a strong effect on air quality. During the sampling period, a decreasing trend was observed for the annual average concentration of PM2.5, especially at sampling sites in layer 1, where the stricter control policies were implemented. The SO42-/NO3- mass ratio at most sites exceeded 1 in 2015 but dropped to less than 1 since 2016, reflecting decreasing coal combustion and increasing traffic impacts in Chengdu, and these values can be further supported by temporal variations of the SO42- and NO3- concentrations. The positive matrix factorization (PMF) model was applied to quantify PM2.5 sources. A total of five sources were identified, with average contributions of 15.5 % (traffic emissions), 19.7 % (coal and biomass combustion), 8.8 % (industrial emissions), 39.7 % (secondary particles), and 16.2 % (resuspended dust). From 2015 to 2019, a dramatic decline was observed in the average percentage contributions of coal and biomass combustion, but the traffic emission source showed an increasing trend. For spatial variations, the high coefficient of variation (CV) values of coal and biomass combustion and industrial emissions indicated their higher spatial difference in Chengdu. High contributions of resuspended dust occurred at sites with intensive construction activities, such as subway and airport construction. Combining the PMF results, we developed the source-weighted potential source contribution function (SWPSCF) method for source localization. This new method highlighted the influences of spatial distribution for source contributions, and the effectiveness of the SWPSCF method was evaluated.

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A Computational Study of a Biomass Cookstove With Forced Secondary Air Injection

Volume 3: Computational Fluid Dynamics; Micro and Nano Fluid Dynamics ◽

10.1115/fedsm2020-20166 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Liam Cassidy ◽

Nordica MacCarty

Keyword(s):

Fluid Dynamics ◽

Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽

Air Quality ◽

Thermal Efficiency ◽

Air Flow ◽

Air Injection ◽

Biomass Combustion ◽

Secondary Air Injection ◽

Forced Draft ◽

Secondary Air

Abstract The use of solid biomass as a primary energy source for cooking is common to nearly half of the world’s population. Household air pollution as a byproduct of biomass combustion creates powerful negative health impacts related to air quality and a strong influence on our global radiative balance. Despite efforts to improve biomass-fueled cooking technology, many current designs still fail to meet WHO guidelines for air quality and consume excessive fuel. One promising method to improve in both of these areas is through introduction of forced primary or secondary air to the combustion process to increase turbulence, mixing, and velocity. Incorporating computational fluid dynamics to the design process for this forced draft air flow can provide insights into the complex and interconnected thermophysical relationships which, otherwise, would require extensive experimentation. The objective of this work is to provide a preliminary computational fluid dynamics study of a secondary air forced draft biomass cookstove. Thermal efficiency and emissions concentrations are investigated relative to various combinations of secondary air flow rates and injection angles. The results from the case study suggest that thermal efficiency of the cookstove is a function of secondary air injection angle, with optimal angle being a function of the specific air-fuel ratio. Additionally, a design trade-off is evident when comparing the pollutant concentration data and thermal efficiency data. Lastly, analysis of the computational results suggests that large pressure gradients about secondary air vortices in the combustion chamber lead to improved thermal efficiency and more complete combustion. The continued development of this work into an open-source computational fluid dynamics tool is underway.

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High Contribution of Biomass Combustion to PM2.5 in the City Centre of Naples (Italy)

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos10080451 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 451 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Carmina Sirignano ◽

Angelo Riccio ◽

Elena Chianese ◽

Haiyan Ni ◽

Katrin Zenker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Particulate Matter ◽

Air Quality ◽

Fossil Fuel ◽

Total Carbon ◽

Carbonaceous Aerosol ◽

City Centre ◽

Biomass Combustion ◽

Policy Makers ◽

The City ◽

Fossil Fuel Emissions

A better knowledge of the local and regional sources of the atmospheric particulate matter provides policy makers with the proper awareness when acting to improve air quality, in order to protect public health. A source apportionment study of the carbonaceous aerosol in Naples (Italy) is presented here, in order to improve this understanding in a vulnerable urban area. The aim of this study is quantifying directly fossil and non-fossil contributions to carbonaceous aerosol, by means of radiocarbon measurements. This is the first time that such an approach is implemented in this area. Fine particles with diameter ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5) were collected daily on top of a building in the city center, from November 2016 until January 2017. The carbonaceous aerosol was separated into organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC), by a two-step thermal desorption method. Subsequent radiocarbon analysis enabled the partitioning of the major sources of carbonaceous aerosol into fossil and non-fossil ones by applying radiocarbon isotopic mass balance. The PM2.5 concentration was on average 29 ± 3 µg⁄m3 (mean ± standard error; n = 18), with a maximum of 68.6 ± 0.7 µg⁄m3 on a day when air masses back-trajectories suggest a local origin and stagnant airflow conditions in the region. The carbonaceous component accounts for roughly half of the PM2.5 mass. Fossil fuel emissions are a minor source of OC (23%), but the dominant source of EC (66%), which is directly emitted during combustion processes. However, overall only 30% of the total carbon is of fossil origin, accounting for 14% of PM2.5 mass. Surprisingly, a comparable contribution is due to primary biomass burning carbon, which accounts in total for 15% of PM2.5 mass. Traffic pollution, the main cause of fossil fuel emissions in urban areas, is a significant, but not the predominant source of carbonaceous particle concentration. These findings support the conclusion of a predominant contribution from non-fossil sources to the carbon in airborne particulate matter, which policy makers should take into account when planning mitigation strategies to improve urban air quality.

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Assessing the regional impact of indonesian biomass burning emissions based on organic molecular tracers and chemical mass balance modeling

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-14-8043-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 14 (15) ◽

pp. 8043-8054 ◽

Cited By ~ 59

Author(s):

G. Engling ◽

J. He ◽

R. Betha ◽

R. Balasubramanian

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Mass Balance ◽

Biomass Burning ◽

Large Scale ◽

Chemical Species ◽

Biomass Combustion ◽

Diagnostic Ratios ◽

Chemical Mass Balance ◽

Haze Episode ◽

Molecular Tracers

Abstract. Biomass burning activities commonly occur in Southeast Asia (SEA), and are particularly intense in Indonesia during the dry seasons. The effect of biomass smoke emissions on air quality in the city state of Singapore was investigated during a haze episode in October 2006. Substantially increased levels of airborne particulate matter (PM) and associated chemical species were observed during the haze period. Specifically, the enhancement in the concentration of molecular tracers for biomass combustion such as levoglucosan by as much as two orders of magnitude and the diagnostic ratios of individual organic compounds indicated that biomass burning emissions caused a regional smoke haze episode due to their long-range transport by prevailing winds. With the aid of air mass backward trajectories and chemical mass balance modeling, large-scale forest and peat fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan were identified as the sources of the smoke aerosol, exerting a significant impact on air quality in downwind areas, such as Singapore.

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