A study of smoke formation from wood combustion

•Wood samples were burned under conditions which allowed separation of the flaming and smouldering stages of wood combustion.•Emitted particles were analysed by atmospheric time of flight mass spectrometry.•The decomposition products of proxy compounds were demonstrated to be relevant for improving our understanding of wood combustion.•Implications for health were that the diameters of most of the particles were less than 2.5 μm.•The implications for atmospheric chemistry was that the greatest concentration of particles was < 0.12 μm.

Aerosol time of flight mass spectrometry (ATOFMS) was used to analyse the particles emitted during the flaming and smouldering phases of the combustion of samples of hard and soft woods. Eugenol and furfural were also burned and using results from previous work of the authors, they have been shown to be useful proxies for initial wood combustion products. The ratios of elementary carbon to total carbon in the particles were similar for both the woods and for eugenol. The ATOFMS spectra of most of the particles were consistent with the presence of soot precursor constituents along with oxygen containing fragments. Most particle diameters were less than 2.5 μm, with the greatest concentration of < 0.12 μm.