Survey on Measurements and Emission Factors on Particulate Matter from Biomass Combustion in Iea Countries

Since biomass combustion is related to high emissions of particulate matter (PM), the International Energy Agency (IEA) Bioenergy Task 32 is promoting the implementation of technical measures for PM reduction. As a basis to set priorities and as a guideline for future regulations, emission factors from different types of combustion are of interest. The target of the present study is to collect and critically discuss emission factors from residential wood combustion in the IEA member countries. The reported results on emission factors from manual wood combustion devices exhibit huge ranges from less than 20 mg/MJ under ideal conditions up to more than 5 000 mg/MJ under poor conditions. Hence ideal operation is regarded as a major target for the future. Furthermore, the implementation of heat storage tanks is identified as an important need for log wood boilers. Since different PM measurements are applied, the influence of the sampling method, i.e., hot filter probe, quenching, and dilution tunnel, is discussed. Measurements reveal that the mass on solid particles and condensables need to be distinguished. Under poor combustion conditions, the mass of condensables can exceed the mass of solid particles and should be considered to evaluate the impact of wood combustion on the ambient air quality.