Abstract Number: 1673 Working Group: Combustion-Generated Aerosols: the Desirable and Undesirable
Abstract Volatile matter content of coal has been reported to have a direct influence on the PM2.5 emissions from domestic cook stoves. In the present study two sub-bituminous coals were carbonized at different temperatures to obtain batches of coal samples with different volatile content. These coal batches were then used in a traditional cook stove and PM2.5 emissions were measured. A direct relationship was observed between the volatile matter content of the coal samples and the PM2.5 emissions, suggesting that carbonization of coal could be an immediate strategy to control emissions from coal based domestic cook stoves. However, volatiles-free metallurgical coke was found to be difficult to ignite using the procedure normally used for such stoves. Previous studies also report ignition temperatures to be a function of volatile content. Characterization of the volatiles for different carbonization temperatures was carried out using pyrolysis-GCMS to understand the kind of organics emitted at different carbonization temperatures. The results provide an alternate strategy for control of cook stove emissions, especially in coal mining areas where use of raw coal for domestic cooking is ubiquitous.