Gaseous Emissions From The Combustion Of Biomass Pellets

Abstract

Biomass is a sustainable energy source with significant potentials for replacing fossil fuels and electricity for heating purposes. Present residential wood combustion can, however, be a significant source of ambient urban air pollutants such as volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and particulate matter. Ambient exposure to these pollutants in general has been associated with different health effects such as cardiopulmonary disease/mortality and cancer risks [1–3]. Wood pellets are generally a clean, dry and easily fed fuel to be used in special boilers, burners and stoves on the residential market. Compared with other modern technologies, the majority of the wood-fired appliances currently used suffer from poorly optimized conditions, resulting in considerable emissions of products from incomplete combustion. New and upgraded biomass fuels provide possibilities of more controlled and optimized combustion with less emission of PIC [4]. For future health impact assessments, regulatory standards and evaluations concerning present and future residential biomass combustion, as well as a solid qualitative and quantitative knowledge of the emissions from different sources, are of vital importance. In consequence, there is still a strong need for detailed characterization and quantification of the emissions from residential biomass appliances when using different fuels and combustion techniques [5].