A novel field measurement method for determining fine particle and gas emissions from residential wood combustion

Emission data from residential wood combustion are usually obtained on test stands in the laboratory but these measurements do not correspond to the operational conditions in the field because of the technological boundary conditions (e.g. testing protocol, environmental and draught conditions). The field measurements take into account the habitual practice of the operators and provide the more reliable results needed for emission inventories. In this study, a workable and compact method for measuring emissions from residential wood combustion in winter conditions was developed. The emissions for fine particle, gaseous and PAH compounds as well as particle composition in real operational conditions were measured from seven different appliances. The measurement technique worked well and was evidently suitable for winter conditions. It was easy and fast to use, and no construction scaffold was needed. The dilution of the sample with the combination of a porous tube diluter and an ejector diluter was well suited to field measurement. The results indicate that the emissions of total volatile organic carbon (TVOC) (17 g kg−1 (of dry wood burned)), carbon monoxide (CO) (120 g kg−1) and fine particle mass (PM1) (2.7 g kg−1) from the sauna stove were higher than in the other measured appliances. In the masonry heaters, baking oven and stove, the emissions were 2.9–9 g kg−1 TVOC, 28–68 g kg−1 CO and 0.6–1.6 g kg−1 PM1. The emission of 12 PAHs (PAH12) from the sauna stove was 164 mg kg−1 and consisted mainly of PAHs with four benzene rings in their structure. PAH12 emission from other appliances was, on average, 21 mg kg−1 and was dominated by 2-ring PAHs. These results indicate that despite the non-optimal operational practices in the field, the emissions did not differ markedly from the laboratory measurements.