Photo: Flickr.com/Clive Hurst CC BY-NC

Emissions from residential wood combustion

A Nordic research project has made emission measurements on residential wood burning appliances, boilers and stoves, representative for the Nordic countries. It was found that the older technologies generally exhibited higher emission levels than more modern types of equipment. For example, the traditional log-burning wood boilers had emission levels that were around 5–10 times higher (depending on pollutant) than for modern log-burning wood boilers or pellet boilers. In the case of stoves the difference was not as large, with up to two times higher emission levels from the traditional tiled and masonry stoves, and an older type of iron stove, compared to the modern wood stoves.

When comparing currently used national emission factors in the Nordic countries with those developed from the project’s measurement programme, large differences were sometimes found, both between countries and in relation to the measurement results.

The project investigated emission factors for the pollutants PM_2.5, elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), methane (CH₄), NMVOCs and carbon monoxide (CO) from residential wood combustion, including ratios for increased emissions under poor combustion conditions, such as part-load combustion and burning of moist fuel.

The report: “Emission factors for SLCP emissions from residential wood combustion in the Nordic countries” (January 2018). By K. Kindbom et. al. Published by the Nordic Council of Ministers. Link: http://norden.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A1174670&dswid...

Domestic wood burning

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Emissions from residential wood combustion

In this issue

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Editorial: Europe should decarbonise its economy by 2030

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Denmark to expose sulphur-cheating ships

IMO moves to ban carriage of high-sulphur marine fuel

Development of Kyoto GHG emissions in Europe 1990 to 2015

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Europeans expect to cut back on meat

Poland and Bulgaria challenge EU air pollution law

Courts require action to clear the air

Greenwashing of farm payments

Possible to phase out the climate impact of road traffic in 15 years

The Nordic-Baltic Region can be decarbonised by 2030

Ecosystems hit by air pollutant fallout

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The communal deficits of German lignite usage

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